tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91511298228920139622024-03-13T13:34:00.681-05:00Crafting in YoohoovilleLife, Knitting, Crochet, and Genealogy. It doesn't get any better than that.Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.comBlogger233125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-29393424304901207652017-02-26T15:54:00.002-06:002017-02-26T15:56:55.515-06:00In celebration of genealogical mistakes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mistakes-carriage-house.jpg" target="_blank">Complications in the Carriage House by Stobridge Litho. Co., 1898 at Wikipedia Commons</a></td></tr>
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Wow, I can't believe its almost been a year since I last wrote something. Blog hibernation, anyone? <br />
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I try to always make these posts be something that I'm passionate about. If I'm not passionate about a topic, I figure its not worth writing about it because there's probably a million other people out there writing about it.<br />
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When I read Donna R. Causey's article "<a href="http://alabamapioneers.com/genealogy-history-police/" target="_blank">Have you ever been attacked by the Genealogy Police?</a>" it was something that stuck with me. I have a great passion for welcoming people into genealogy, and she describes perfectly unfortunately what happens in genealogical disagreements.<br />
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In the exact same week, I read a letter from a friend in which she described doing the "<a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/genealogy-returns-2017/" target="_blank">Genealogy Do Over</a>" and abandoning her existing research.<br />
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And at the same time, I've been working on fixing my Dutch ancestors on the FamilySearch Family Tree (shout-out to my fellow Teunis Nyssen and Phoebe Sales descendants) and realizing how much work is involved. I've spent two weeks and finally have them to a place where I can enter documents and such because all of the corrections have been made.<br />
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I think these events stuck with me because on February 19 (during the free time for Ancestry.co.uk), I discovered I had made a HUGE mistake. I had made 3 separate couples into one couple, therefore messing up completely the Toon family research that I had been working on since 2009.<br />
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My third great grandparents were James Toon (b. abt. 1829, Thringstone, Leicestershire, England), and Jane Halfpenny. James father was John Toon, b. abt. 1799 in Coleorton, Leicestershire, England.<br />
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John was married to an Elizabeth. That's all I knew for a long time, and when Amelia Elizabeth Wheatley and John Toon's marriage came together as hints in Ancestry, it all seemed to fit and check all the boxes - right age, close to the right area, and right name to fit with her census entries. So I went with it. So much so you can even see <a href="http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/LEICESTERSHIRE-PLUS/2013-08/1376346541" target="_blank">my own post naming her for certain</a>.<br />
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I didn't think about this family very much - there is actually a Toon family expert so I know its been well covered - until that freebie weekend came up on Ancestry.co.uk. A hint was there for a marriage of John Toon and Elizabeth Preston <i><b>all in Coleorton</b></i>. As this would be the place John lived almost his entire life, it grabbed my curiousity, and I started looking through my evidence.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-weFCyvS9i8g/WLM-vvX-BJI/AAAAAAAAq2A/O2ljood23co6sM0Wh6QizhEpeI1E9qUHwCLcB/s1600/domo_022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-weFCyvS9i8g/WLM-vvX-BJI/AAAAAAAAq2A/O2ljood23co6sM0Wh6QizhEpeI1E9qUHwCLcB/s320/domo_022.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Actual photo from when I realized I made a mistake (j/k) <a href="http://www.picturescafe.com/image/2316" target="_blank">Its a Domo!</a></td></tr>
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At once I realized there was a problem. I had Amelia Elizabeth Wheatley marrying John Toon in WARWICKSHIRE, a Job Toon and Elizabeth couple in Leicestershire, AND a John Toon and Elizabeth in Coleorton from the censuses.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UqS6zmd4sTw/WLM_kOIFrQI/AAAAAAAAq2E/XSQIh_pSq4o878ZEkPyrL1fVy_yJcS-7QCLcB/s1600/John%2BToon%2Band%2BElizabeth%2BPreston%2BToon%2B1851%2Bcensus%2Bin%2BColeorton%252C%2BLeics..PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="63" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UqS6zmd4sTw/WLM_kOIFrQI/AAAAAAAAq2E/XSQIh_pSq4o878ZEkPyrL1fVy_yJcS-7QCLcB/s400/John%2BToon%2Band%2BElizabeth%2BPreston%2BToon%2B1851%2Bcensus%2Bin%2BColeorton%252C%2BLeics..PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1851 census entry for Coleorton, Leicestershire, England for John Toon and Elizabeth Preston Toon with children Henry, Elizabeth, and Jane listed. </td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The information I needed was actually right in their 1851 census entry. Elizabeth is listed as being born in Coleorton. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snapshot of the 1861 census for John Toon and Elizabeth Preston Toon showing their respective birthplaces. The 2 entries below are for grandchildren Mary J Toon and Thomas Toon.</td></tr>
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And its repeated in their 1861 census. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some words may have been said that were harsher than this... <a href="https://www.tenor.co/view/homer-simpsons-annoyed-grunt-doh-gif-4040641" target="_blank">Image courtesy of Tenor</a>.</td></tr>
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So I not only had to fix the couple, I had to fix the family. And I had the wrong 1841 census, with the listing for Job Toon and Elizabeth, not John Toon and Elizabeth. </div>
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I promptly posted my angst on my Facebook feed, because I figured there were others who could commiserate with me. I mean, I'm sure other people make mistakes too, right? </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the cutest cricket I have ever seen! <a href="http://www.animateit.net/details.php?image_id=1287" target="_blank">Image from Animate It</a>!</td></tr>
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I got one comment and a few status reactions. But I got a very interesting group of private messages, which I will summarize with two sentences:</div>
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<li>Aren't you afraid to admit you're wrong? </li>
<li>Shouldn't you just start over? </li>
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This says to me that people are afraid to admit they made a mistake because they are afraid of what others will say. And with the fashionability right now of the "Do Over", people are willing to abandon their research rather than try to fix it. </div>
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What they lose by this is quite frankly, the ability to learn from their mistake. And when they abandon their research, its never truly off the Internet if they have posted online, had an online family tree, posted on message boards and mailing lists, etc. People will still find the research, even when its wrong. If you look at WorldConnect family trees for example, many people have different versions of the same tree on there. </div>
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7 days later, John Toon and Elizabeth Preston Toon are fixed. And their children are correct. I learned a lot about reading through and questioning evidence. And quite frankly, I would welcome people questioning my genealogy. It only gets better by people asking the question, reaching out, and chatting about theories, hypotheses, and conclusions. </div>
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Even as I read this, I find another <a href="http://meanderingthroughtime.weebly.com/john-toon-1799.html" target="_blank">write up on John Toon and Elizabeth Preston</a> that suggests there might be more research needed on this family! </div>
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<b>The 2017 Phillipps Research: John Toon and Elizabeth Preston Toon Family</b></div>
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John Toon, son of James Toon and Ann Possnett</div>
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b. abt. 1799 Coleorton, Leicestershire, England</div>
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m. 28 May 1822 Coleorton, Leicestershire, England</div>
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1841 census - Coleorton, Leicestershire, England</div>
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1851 census - Coleorton, Leicestershire, England</div>
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1861 census - Coleorton, Leicestershire, England</div>
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1871 census - Swannington, Leicestershire, England ***I ran out of time to confirm this one!</div>
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d. 1876 </div>
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Elizabeth Preston </div>
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b. 1803 Coleorton, Leicestershire, England</div>
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m. 28 May 1822 Coleorton, Leicestershire, England</div>
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1841 census - Coleorton, Leicestershire, England</div>
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1851 census - Coleorton, Leicestershire, England</div>
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1861 census - Coleorton, Leicestershire, England</div>
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Children:</div>
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William Toon, b. abt. 1826</div>
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James Toon, b. abt. 1829</div>
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Henry Toon, b. abt. 1832</div>
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Alpheus Toon, b. abt. 1834</div>
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Mary Toon, b. abt. 1836</div>
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Elizabeth Toon, b. abt. 1839 (Q3)</div>
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Jane Toon, b. abt. 1840 (Q4)</div>
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Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-8732844921599340662016-03-28T12:35:00.002-05:002016-03-28T12:35:38.407-05:00Lunedi di Pasqua (Easter Monday) - Torta Ricotta senza glutine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Torta Ricotta senza glutine by Crafting in Yoohooville</td></tr>
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I often find myself reading Italian heritage recipes online and realizing that they probably do not hold true for my northern Italian family. Foods that are native to Sicily or Rome are not the same as what the Vittoriese would have eaten.<br />
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I also did not have the blessing of spending time with Nonni at Easter, so I don't know for sure if they had the same tradition of making Easter pie as Rome or Florence, but I can guess at what they would do.<br />
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Easter Monday is a strange holiday to Americans, but in my great-grandparents part of Italy it would have been celebrated with zeal (and still is!). Since they are so close to Austria and Hungary our area of Italy sometimes incorporates customs from there - like the dowsing of holy water in the morning to have your family wake up blessed on Easter Monday.<br />
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But amongst the more pleasant traditions of Easter Monday is the making of the Easter Pie, known as a torta ricotta. Here's another of those interesting cases where depending on where you are in Italy, the more changes to the torta occur. Some have lemon, some do not. Some have a top, some do not. Some have lattice work on top, some do not. Even the sweet nature of the torta is changed in Sicily to a savory pie.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AAmalfi_-_limoni_e_peperoncini_-_%22lemons_and_red_dried_pepppers%22.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="By Yvon from Netherlands [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="Amalfi - limoni e peperoncini - "lemons and red dried pepppers"" height="133" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c2/Amalfi_-_limoni_e_peperoncini_-_%22lemons_and_red_dried_pepppers%22.jpg/512px-Amalfi_-_limoni_e_peperoncini_-_%22lemons_and_red_dried_pepppers%22.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amalfitano Lemons</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ALipari-Citrons_(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="By Ji-Elle (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="Lipari-Citrons (1)" height="150" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Lipari-Citrons_%281%29.jpg/512px-Lipari-Citrons_%281%29.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sicilian Lemons</td></tr>
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The blessing of living just an hour's train ride from Venice meant to Serravalle, the village my great grandparents were from, had the benefit of expanded trade in foods. So getting a hold of a true Sicilian lemon (less acidic than Meyer lemons, more floral tasting) was not as big of a deal as say, a village up in the mountains far from transit. Truly rich people could also get Amalfitanos, lemons from the Amalfi coast that are sweeter and less acidic than Meyer lemons, but my family was not among that bunch of wealthy residents in town. My family also had the benefit of stone pine trees producing pine nuts (if they didn't have a tree of their own, Serravalle could easily import them from Pisa), and would cure raisins each year with leftover grapes from the wine harvest. I actually do know from interviews with my great-aunt and my dad that Nonni used to make her own wine, so this is not a stretch to believe that she could also produce raisins. A local mill produced flour of different types, a few chickens to have eggs, and a cow to produce milk and you've got pretty much all the ingredients you need to make a pie.<br />
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With having celiac disease, making a torta with the original ingredients is impossible, because of the flour. However, Italians have great respect for those who have to do a diet "senza glutine" (gluten-free), producing pastas and flours galore to serve the needs of the celiac population across the world. So I made this pie gluten-free and feel it honors my ancestors well on this blessed holiday. The crust turned out like a beautiful sugar cookie to the light and lemony ricotta, so I am very pleased with it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Torta Ricotta e uvetta e pinoli senza glutine by Crafting in Yoohooville</td></tr>
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<b><u>Torta Ricotta e uvetta e pinoli senza glutine (Gluten Free Ricotta Pie with pine nuts and raisins)</u></b><br />
-300 grams of <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/gluten-free-flour-24-oz" target="_blank">King Arthur gluten free flour</a>***<br />
-250 grams of granulated sugar, split into 100 gram and 150 gram portions<br />
-113 grams of softened unsalted butter (note: for Americans, this is 1 stick)<br />
-300 grams of ricotta (If you get fresh, make sure to let it drain for at least 2 hours before using)<br />
-1 lemon (note: a small lemon is ok as you're only going to be grating the peel)<br />
-50 grams of raisins<br />
-25 grams of pine nuts<br />
-5 separated eggs (2 yolks in one container, 3 yolks in another container, and the whites in the last container)<br />
-Cinnamon<br />
-Powdered sugar/icing sugar (optional)<br />
-Nonstick cooking spray<br />
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Instructions<br />
-Put the flour, the 100 gram portion of sugar, the butter, and the 2 egg yolks into a bowl and mix. The dough will become a sturdy dough ball that's soft to the touch. If you find it a little too hard, add some cold water to it.<br />
-Cover this bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.<br />
-While the dough is chilling, mix the ricotta with the 150 gram portion of sugar, the 3 yolk portion of eggs, and a dash of cinnamon. Add the raisins and pine nuts. You should also add the grated lemon peel here. I like lemon flavoring, so I added the grated peel of an entire lemon, but you can adjust to your taste preferences. A little will brighten the mixture, a lot will give lemon flavor.<br />
-Beat your egg whites firmly to produce peaks. Depending on how well you beat them will produce the height of your pie.<br />
-Add the egg whites to the ricotta mixture gently.<br />
-Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C / Gas setting 6).<br />
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Here's where you can make another decision. My version pictured is the no top crust version.<br />
-No Top Crust instructions: grease a pie dish with nonstick cooking spray and place on a cookie sheet. Place the dough ball in the middle of the dish and gently pat out out to the sides and upward until you have a nice ridge on the dough above the dish. Pour the mixture into the pie dish. Cook between 35-40 minutes or until the filling shows it is firm.<br />
-Top crust instructions: divide the dough from the refrigerator into two parts. Grease a pie dish with non-stick cooking spray, and place one half of the dough at the bottom of the dish and pat out to the sides and upward until the just above the edge of the dish. Pour the mixture into the dish, and roll out the second ball of dough into a flat layer that can rest on top of your dish. Seal the edges with your preferred method (I like crimping) so that the filling won't leak out of your pie during cooking. Cook for 30-35 minutes until the dough is golden and the pie feels firm.<br />
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Last step, cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar or icing sugar if you wish. Makes a pie big enough for 8 good sized slices.<br />
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* = For those of you who aren't gluten free, you can use 300 grams of all purpose flour and increase the amount of butter to 150 grams.<br />
**= For those of you that are gluten free, King Arthur's flour I find best for sweet goods as it is fine in nature and performs well as a drier pastry. For those of you that want to make your own flour blends, <a href="http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/all-purpose-gluten-free-flour-recipes/" target="_blank">Gluten Free on a Shoestring</a> has a mock Better Batter (and mock Cup4Cup flour) that would also work amazingly well in this recipe. If you are dairy free as well you can use <a href="http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/dairy-free-gluten-free-pastry-flour-hack/" target="_blank">her recipe</a> as well for pastry flour and it should work just fine.
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Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-5304107302847953692016-03-24T18:19:00.000-05:002016-03-24T18:19:17.460-05:00Genealogy Charting: Spreading like wildfire... (aka a genealogist's ode to Kaffe Fassett)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Facebook is full today of folks trying out J Paul Hawthorne's nifty new tool to map out where your ancestors were born (or died, or really whatever you want in common with them...).</div>
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I used the slightly different file from <a href="http://www.mkrgenealogy.com/links.html" target="_blank">Mary Kircher Roddy</a> to develop my image, and then I started to tweak it to use one color per state or country. (I have to admit, I like the way she identified all of the ancestors in short form so that you could tell where you are in the chart - otherwise I might have gotten lost!)</div>
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What comes out is a fun visualization of where your ancestors were from. Yes, I know my maternal grandmother's ancestors were all English, but it was fun to put a color behind them and identify them so clearly as such. </div>
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Interestingly, it didn't immediately make me think that my ancestors had diverse background. What it actually made me think of was a color chart for knitting designs, specifically, of Kaffe Fassett. </div>
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Yes, that Kaffe Fassett. (<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/potteryandeverythingelse/4292373917" target="_blank">Gorgeous Kaffe Fassett collage by Heidi Elliott!</a>)</div>
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I would have never thought those colors worked together, and yet somehow, they do. Its the mosaic of me!</div>
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I can see them now, in mitered squares and abstract blocks, winding around a beautifully felted bag. My ancestors were a little rough around the edges, so felting makes a good way to represent them, sturdy and tough with a little wear and fuzz showing fragility. </div>
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Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-13714497609919719942016-01-19T12:12:00.002-06:002016-01-19T12:12:52.012-06:00Genealogy offline: A question of access, investment, and wayfinding<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: left;">It comes to me very often that the problem of genealogy is that the instructions are all together too prescriptive. If this, do this. If that, do that. </span></div>
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One of the most common tropes that I see in blogs is that "it's not all online", and then proceeds to talk about records that exist as if they are the same for everyone in every state and every country.</div>
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I think the biggest thing I learned in 2015 is that there really aren't standard records available everywhere for everyone from every time period. Sounds easy, right? I mean, NY is not the same as IL or MI. But I think genealogy can fool you into thinking this is the case, because so much of our training is about making lists. </div>
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For example:</div>
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-Found an ancestor who lived 1800-1890.</div>
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1.got the US censuses for 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880.</div>
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2. then research helpers suggest finding state censuses for the 5 year marks in between (1855, 1865, etc.). </div>
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3. then they suggest looking for newspaper articles to fill in</div>
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4. then they suggest looking for vital records to fill in</div>
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5. then they suggest looking for land records to fill in</div>
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6. then they suggest looking for military records to fill in.</div>
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7. then you get into the land of offline records: schools, letters, books, etc. </div>
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The problem with this prescriptive approach is that with the online records available, people are facing an onslaught of information all at once, and get paralyzed at a certain level. Many people stop somewhere in between steps 1-4 and never hit steps 5-7. If they do hit steps 5-7, they get flustered when they can't find what the list says they should be able to find.</div>
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The problem with offline records (and even blended offline/online where the database index is online and you have to order for offline delivery) is three parts:</div>
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1. Access - generally you have to have access to a physical address to get access to a particular record, or to search when the particular search you started with doesn't work for one reason or another (spelling-ARGH!).</div>
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2. Investment - you're going to spend more per record search, consultant hire,or copy fees in terms of dollars. In terms of time, its going to take a lot longer to search offline that it is with a fully indexed record on FamilySearch or Ancestry.</div>
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3. Wayfinding - you have to be able to find your way to the proper archive. Sometimes this is easy, if they have a website with clearly listed records that you can plan to find. Other times it takes a series of phone calls, emails, and visits to come to find out if your record is actually at that location OR has been taken elsewhere OR destroyed OR you're in completely the wrong spot entirely. </div>
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Wayfinding is often the hardest part of the problem, because sometimes even the archivists don't know about record availability for a certain time period. I was recently at the NY State Archive, and came back home and found out that what they had told me was false information. Or when I was in Watertown, NY, the local librarian/genealogist/history buff told me information didn't exist any more - which was only partially true, part had been filmed eons ago by the LDS-FamilySearch folks. It wasn't because they didn't like me or didn't want to help me, it was just that they were specialists in their particular part of the archive and not other parts or other archives.</div>
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Generally speaking though, you have to know where to go, what you can spend, and how you can get to offline records, and then expect that there is massive variation in what is available. One county might have every state census back to the first immigrants. The one next door might only have a few decades worth. Having the flexibility in-brain to say that this variation is okay and being able to move onto the next part of the search (or hopping off the search path entirely) is a valuable skill that is only honed through practiced off-line research, so its no wonder that people are scared and wondering why they can't find something that they saw online for somewhere else. </div>
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We have to stop prescribing to every genealogy problem a list of steps. We need to encourage people to cast a net, catch all the fish, sort the little fish from the big fish, sort the types of fish, and then figure out which ones to bring home for dinner, and then figure out where to cast the net again, to borrow a metaphor. The net can go many places - offline, online, to a consultant, to a volunteer - but it doesn't need to go in a certain order or the same places every time in order to catch some fish for dinner. </div>
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Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-61126480050842973432016-01-12T16:54:00.003-06:002016-01-12T16:55:38.110-06:00Reinvigorating the Case: Handknit Hose and Daniel Walker (1772-1851)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Daniel Walker (1772-1851) is a stubborn case of mine. Genealogy-wise, he's one of my most interesting men. On the run from the revolutionists in the US? Check. Heartbreaking story of betrayal by friends and countrymen? Check.<br />
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Yet he continues to elude me by not providing any documentation that his son Joshua is the father of MY Daniel Walker (1825-1867). They were in the same area at the same time, named their kids many of the same names, but there's little to no paper trail of the familial relationship. So far investigations into land records and church records have failed, though I have one church left to cover: the Methodists.<br />
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I placed Daniel (1772-1851) into a pile of "things to do" and figured it would come back at some point. I have the same pile with my knitting ::grins:: often putting things off because of a commission or on-demand knit with deadlines causes leisurely pursuits to go awry.<br />
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Recently though, both "to do" piles have intersected yet again. I was contacted by another cousin who's willing to do the maddening work of discovering the paperless ancestor and go through what could be tangled identities of people with the same name in the same town. That also made me think about knitting socks, as Daniel Walker (1772-1851) was a proud Loyalist who would have worn stout handmade stockings that had been from the same pattern that was produced in England. It was queried of the Loyalist Association what socks could have been worn during the time period and I sent on the reference that <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021002222326/www.dabbler.com/ndlwrk/stocking.html" target="_blank">Donna Flood Kenton's "Hand Knit Hose"</a> would have been a period correct stocking pattern. Her website has gone away over the years, but through the blessing of the Internet Archive, we can continue to use her pattern to this day.<br />
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I have set about cleaning my craft room and found my pair of "socks in progress". I'm determined to make 2016 the year that we find my Daniel Walker and straighten out his family AND finish my pair of socks!</div>
Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-17044750463891325522015-11-25T19:34:00.000-06:002015-11-30T11:38:25.260-06:00Nous sommes le globe, a free knit hairband pattern<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Thanksgiving is one of the most interesting holidays because it does so much to bring people together. In light of the attacks in France and other parts of the world, it makes me happy when people take an opportunity to join one another around the table in celebration of the things that bring us together instead of driving each other apart.<br />
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Several of my knitting friends are releasing new work to in honor of the people's creativity and love in France and Belgium. With a French theme, these projects are fun and light in what could be a dark world.<br />
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When I think of France, I think of the time I spent there. Luxury. Chic. Fashion. So I used some yarns that to me are luxurious, with alpaca and mohair (nice mohair, not 80s mohair). A simple repeat creates graphic repetition with a nearly mindless pattern that one can complete in as little as one night.<br />
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And with a nod to my French speaking and knitting friends, this pattern is in English AND French (merci à mes amis pour l'édition de ma traduction!):<br />
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/dls/crafting-in-yoohooville-store/305461?filename="><b>Download now</b></a></div>
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Please be sure to check out some of the other patterns (all will be up by the end of the day on 25/11/15):<br />
• <a href="http://americancrochet.com/thinking-of-paris-american-crochet/" target="_blank">Patriot Square Coast by American Crochet</a><br />
• <a href="http://stitchesnscraps.com/2015/11/25/free-pattern-fierte" target="_blank">Fierte by Stitches N Scraps</a><br />
• <a href="http://www.creativethreadsbyleah.com/free-crochet-pattern-french-flag-graph" target="_blank">French Flag Graph by Creative Threads</a><br />
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If you are looking for donation opportunities to help support France and victims of terrorism
throughout the world, here are a few options:<br />
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• <a href="http://www.ifrc.org/en/get-involved/donate/" target="_blank">The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies</a><br />
• <a href="https://soutenir.croix-rouge.fr/" target="_blank">Croix-Rouge Francais</a><br />
• <a href="https://www.secourspopulaire.fr/don" target="_blank">Secoirs Populaire</a><br />
• <a href="https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org/onetime.cfm" target="_blank">Doctors without Borders</a> / <a href="http://www.msf.org/" target="_blank">Medecins Sans Frontieres</a><br />
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By the way, if you're wondering - "Nous sommes le globe" means "We are the world". One world, all standing together against radicalism.<br />
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Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-43602166131563027602015-10-21T17:12:00.000-05:002015-10-21T17:12:26.162-05:00My Top 5 Genealogy Books<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I read Heather's update to her <a href="http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/07/my-top-ten-genealogy-books.html" target="_blank">"Top Ten Genealogy Books"</a> back in August and I realized that I've never talked about what books I like to use! I mean, I talk about the web all the time, but certain books of mine are dog-eared, falling apart from use, and highlighted all over the place as I've used them over and over and over again,..and mine are completely different from what she uses!<br />
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I actually held off on posting this, and I'm glad I did, because my #5 book is a recent addition to my library. While sometimes you get a new book and love it because its new, #5 has been holding steady as one of my favorite books of all time, and I'm really glad I found a copy of it!<br />
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1.<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=HtBYAAAAMAAJ" target="_blank"> Descendants of Andrew Webber </a>by Lorenzo Webber. My most used book is probably the Webber family book. It's available online, but I have a nice copy I had made just for me to write corrections into and peruse off-line. <a href="https://archive.org/stream/descendantsandr00webbgoog#page/n50/mode/2up" target="_blank">You can see it here</a>, conveniently marked for my ancestor! :-)<br />
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2. <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Wills_and_Other_Probate_Records.html?id=P58WAQAAIAAJ" target="_blank">Wills and Other Probate Records: A Practical Guide to Researching Your Ancestor's Last Documents</a> by Karen Grannum. It's a little older now, but I still use it to research different terms in wills, reminding me what probate is, how and where to find records. In tandem, Judy Russell's The Legal Genealogist I've made great strides in finding ancestral wills and probate records in the last couple years. (my husband says to note this is the SECOND copy I've bought because the first copy I wrote all over...)<br />
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3. The BCG Genealogical Standards Manual by the Board for Certification of Genealogists. I've got this one AND the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Genealogy-Standards-Board-Certification-Genealogists-ebook/dp/B00INGE1CG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1445463921&sr=1-1&keywords=Genealogical+Standards+Manual+by+the+Board+for+Certification+of+Genealogists" target="_blank">50th Anniversary version</a>. I'm new to this in the past few years, and they can be a bit snoozeworthy on their own, but used in context of any genealogical problem I have, they are invaluable for helping me figure out where I've MISSED something in my quest to figure the problem out. Usually it is a missing citation or research log, but once I find it, I can keep going on the problem, and that makes this book worth its weight in gold to me.<br />
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4. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Evernote-your-Practical-Guide-Everyday-ebook/dp/B009ZIU9SQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1445463836&sr=1-1-fkmr2&keywords=The+Evernote+Bible+-+Guide+to+Everything+Evernote%2C+Including%3A+Tips%2C+Uses%2C+and+Evernote+Essentials" target="_blank">The Evernote Bible - Guide to Everything Evernote, Including: Tips, Uses, and Evernote Essentials</a> by Tyler and Brandon Collins. I am a huge note-taking fan. I have notebook after notebook of personal, professional, and genealogical notes. I've been scanning them into Evernote and organizing them into families and personal and professional notebooks. This book is great for helping me use a sometimes confusing program.<br />
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5. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Better-Place-Burial-Nineteenth-Century-Ontario/dp/1554888999" target="_blank">A Better Place: Death and Burial in Nineteenth-Century Ontario</a> by Susan Smart. I know this sounds weird. It's not exactly genealogy, though the book does have a genealogy section. This book is a comfort to read, with the focus on the rituals and behaviors of the living around the dead. The first-hand accounts of ceremonies and rituals makes it a wonderful read, and the poetry and verse makes what could have been an extremely dull study of death rituals instead extremely enlightening and entertaining to read. I've enjoyed reading this book multiple times since acquiring it this year.</div>
Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-61675477559179760542015-08-18T12:04:00.000-05:002015-08-18T12:04:18.340-05:00Tatiana's Pupkin Pie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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My husband is an awesome chef. He's made all sorts of things to help our beagles eat. I actually thought I already posted this but it seems to have disappeared, so I'm posting it again! Little Tatiana is no longer with us but we celebrate her life every time we make this for another puppy :-)<br />
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This dish is based off of Alton Brown's Good Eats Pumpkin Pie . All techniques are exactly the same. The only differences are some ingredient substitutions , some left out ingredients and some different amounts.<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
6 ounces kibble<br />
2 teaspoon ground ginger<br />
Enough canola oil to bring the crust together, about a tablespoon.<br />
Filling:<br />
1 13.5oz can of dog food. (<i>If you have one that your dog won't eat use that. It should about the texture of canned pumpkin. If yours is too thick add some moisture to thin it out, like water or broth. If the dog food you use is in chunks, puree it. If the result of that is thinner or wetter than canned pumpkin reduce it until it is the right consistency on the stove.)</i><br />
3oz or so of canned pumpkin <i>(optional)</i>.<br />
1 cup nut milk<i> (almond milk is the most available, but any will do)</i>.<br />
2 tsp spice blend of allspice, Ceylon cinnamon, and cloves.<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
3/8 cup brown sugar, Demerara sugar, or molasses.<br />
2 large eggs<br />
1 large egg yolk<br />
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Instructions:<br />
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.<br />
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For the crust: Combine the kibble and ginger in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the kibble is fine crumbs. Drizzle the oil into the crumb mixture. Pulse 8 to 10 times to combine.<br />
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Press the kibble mixture into the bottom, up the sides of a 9-inch glass pie dish. A metal measuring cup works great for this. Place on a half sheet pan and bake the crust for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool crust at least 10 minutes before filling.<br />
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For the filling: Bring the wet dog food (and pumpkin if using) to a simmer over medium heat in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Add the nut milk, spice blend, and salt. Stir and return the mixture to a simmer. Remove the mixture from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.<br />
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Whisk the brown sugar, eggs, and yolk until smooth in a large bowl. Slowly add the wet food mixture, to temper the eggs, and whisk until thoroughly combined. Keep whisking the whole time you are adding the warm wet food mixture to eggs to help winding up with scrambled eggs. Pour the filling into the warm pie crust and bake on the same half sheet pan until the center jiggles slightly but the sides of the filling are set, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack for at least 2 to 3 hours before slicing. Pie can be made and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance.<br />
<br />Generally we slice this into at least eighths and serve one slice at a time as a "heavy snack". We then lighten up their regular food. If this is a full meal we serve two slices.</div>
Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-4544791084994998212015-05-29T13:20:00.000-05:002015-05-29T13:20:15.002-05:00Sniff and Savor Collar Accessory (a new crochet pattern)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tOsuKwfY_yg/VWX9uFBJycI/AAAAAAAAgl8/kWynl7tt9FU/s1600/20150523_115307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bear, photographed by Shawn Phillipps" border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tOsuKwfY_yg/VWX9uFBJycI/AAAAAAAAgl8/kWynl7tt9FU/s320/20150523_115307.jpg" title="Bear, photographed by Shawn Phillipps" width="180" /></a></div>
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Bear, photographed by Shawn Phillipps</div>
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Our latest senior foster pup, Bear is adorable. I mean, who doesn't love that cute little face! And the furry paws! I adore him. Sometimes he needs a little help calming down. I'm not usually one for the fancy, frou frou world of essential oils, but they have really helped our other senior foster encounter new situations like getting petted, going to Petco, and meeting other dogs. </div>
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So following in the line of<a href="http://craftingyoohooville.blogspot.com/2009/01/vroom-motorcycle-handle-covers.html" target="_blank"> my most popular pattern in Norway</a> (hello Norwegians!) I analyzed a common household shape (a tube) and made it apply to a collar accessory that my other dog already owns, a Sniff-It. </div>
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This FREE pattern uses a bit of needle felting as well as crochet, so kids, be careful around those felting needles! </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/dls/crafting-in-yoohooville-store/275560?filename=" target="_blank">Download Bear's Scent and Savor Collar Accessory </a></span></div>
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Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-64562786523313039762015-04-06T09:37:00.004-05:002015-04-06T09:37:49.696-05:00Speedy Gonzales (marketing in the crochet/knitting world)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Quick Crochet Patterns: 1,590,000 results<br />
Fast Crochet Patterns: 1,130,000 results<br />
Fast Knitting Patterns: 1,220,000 results<br />
Quick Knitting Patterns: 1,560,000 results<br />
Arm Knitting Patterns: 664,000 results<br />
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Sigh. Why must people continue to devalue our crafts by selling their hard work as quick or fast? Is everything anyone is looking for fast or quick? Why do we continue to sell this work as such?<br />
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There are two things these patterns almost universally have in common:<br />
1. They are in the bulkiest weight yarn possible.<br />
2. They are simplest of the simple stitches. Garter stitch or stockinette in knitting. Single crochet or double crochet in crochet.<br />
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But the secret no one talks about is the fact that there are an incredible amount of stitches that are simple to learn and can be done by any person with experience in a short timeframe. Yes, there really are experienced people that can do a blanket in a weekend, but they don't go around saying "Look! I did this quick crochet project!". They say "Look at this great pattern! It was super fun to learn and I got into the rhythm of the stitches, and the yarn patterned out beautifully."<br />
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And how many of us have heard knitting or crocheting lamented because someone gave them a bulky, scratchy sweater that they hated?<br />
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What comes with experience is the understand of what amounts to the project management triangle. As the saying goes in our world, there are fast, good, or cheap, but you can only pick two. Fast project with cheap materials = low quality crap that ends up in a thrift store. Fast project with good quality = low quality crap that ends up in a thrift store. Cheap materials with good quality = Can <i>sometimes</i> be an excellent project <i>if</i> chosen with the right intent in mind and an understanding of the giftee (i.e. using a HL I Love This Yarn or Caron Simply Soft for a project for a baby outfit for a new mom, or using RH Soft for a pet project).</div>
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Which brings me back to the beginning video of Speedy Gonzales. For those of you whippersnappers who don't know who he is, Speedy Gonzales was a super fast mouse who was one of the characters on the Warner Brothers cartoons, starting around 1953, and broadcast well into the 1980s. Speedy was a nice friend to have around - he could save his fellow mice buddies from the evil cats. But at the same time, Speedy wouldn't speak in coherent Spanish, and he would try to take all the women from his buddies.<br />
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By focusing on speed at the expense of all else, Speedy lost out on the things that make life interesting. His women weren't wooed, they were taken. Instead of enjoying the scenery, he speeds by. The same thing happens when crafting. You can speedily do something, but then the connection and the interest in the project speed on by.<br />
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We need to think about how we market our work as crafters and designers to focus on quality, not quantity. Fun, interesting patterns that can be done without the use of the words fast or quick or super bulky that can still be completed in a weekend. Even Speedy reformed his ways - his last appearance was helping his nephew Lightning Rodriguez win an Olympic race on Tiny Toons.<br />
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Think about it folks. Instead of saying how quick something was, talk about how much fun it was that you couldn't put the pattern down all weekend. Instead of saying how fast something was, talk about how interesting the pattern developed over the course of your stitching. We can make the world a better place by reforming how we talk about our crafting works!<br />
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Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-89311096604280606782015-03-17T13:35:00.005-05:002015-03-17T13:35:51.286-05:00Rules and the craft<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs44/f/2009/113/d/5/Green_Irish_Rebel_Logo_by_RageFish21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs44/f/2009/113/d/5/Green_Irish_Rebel_Logo_by_RageFish21.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Isn't this a great tattoo design by <a href="http://ragefish21.deviantart.com/art/Green-Irish-Rebel-Logo-120218405" target="_blank">RageFish21 on DeviantArt</a>? He has some awesome drawings over there. You should check him out when you get a chance.</i></div>
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I titled this post "Rules and the Craft" because it applies in so many situations. The craft could be genealogy, it could be writing, art, music, knitting or crochet, or your hobby of choice. Every St. Patrick's Day, I think about the Irish (not the least because my grandmother believed she was Irish) not because of drinking crappy beer and dressing in green, but because the Irish are a longstanding symbol of rebellion and spirit in the face of untenable circumstances. </div>
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This year I have been thinking of rebellion more often because it seems like there are rules for everything. Rules for how to write (not grammar, but more like "do this" type things), rules for storytelling, rules for how to knit or crochet, rules for how to use Facebook to not become a depressed maniac, etc. <i> </i>At a certain point, it seems like we live our life within a set of bars and its disturbing how many people just live with that. </div>
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<i>Listening to my favorite album of late by Sia, her song "Elastic Heart" expresses this feeling rather well. Two selves fight each other within her psyche, going in and out of the cage. </i></div>
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<a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/15-things-you-dont-owe-anyone-all-though-you-think-you.html" target="_blank">This article</a> and <a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/10-reasons-why-some-people-will-never-suceed.html" target="_blank">this article</a> have be going around Facebook lately as well as oodles of "instructional" help for everything from how to do one's makeup to how to write a book. </div>
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Everytime I see the posts about how to write a book, I think about how Ernest Hemingway would have reacted to someone telling HIM how to write. Or that he needs to focus on blog headlines. Did he need to follow a series of prompts to write his work? I don't think so.</div>
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That's why I write how I write. It's my decision how to write this blog. When I write patterns, I try to be clear and give as much information as possible. When I'm on my blog, when I'm telling a story, I speak in my voice and tell the most organized story that I can. Part of learning to write is to learn that our voice is okay even if we use too many dashes and commas and use the word AND too often. Worrying about all these "rules" leads to a horrible situation: the tyranny of the blank page, the empty needles, the hook without yarn. </div>
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Do you know what my rules for writing are?</div>
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1. Start writing.</div>
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2. Do it often.</div>
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3. Don't tell other people "you're doing it wrong".</div>
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And the same thing applies in just about any other craft. There's some guidelines to live between (grammar, stitch names, spelling, paint types) but we should feel more free to do as we can. When you think about how many human beings that are in the world and the unique talents that each of them has, we can let these "rules" go and start enjoying our given talents rather than beating ourselves up about them. There are so many people I know who like to write but are paralyzed with fear because someone told them they should work on their sentence structure or word choice and all they can think about is the "rules" rather than what they want to tell.</div>
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To bring this back to the opening, St. Patrick is a great example. His legend is banishing the snakes from Ireland while on a fast. He wasn't thinking about how to kill them, he wasn't thinking about all the rules of snake management or who should be taking care of the problem. He saw a problem, he rebelled against it, and the Irish gave him love in return. That's what it comes down to: you will get a good response from someone somewhere, so you should give your craft of choice a shot! Be a rebel. Start doing something today!</div>
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Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-92154331389442154612015-02-24T17:37:00.000-06:002015-02-24T17:37:42.677-06:0052in52: Rachel Sipes Graves (1827-?) and Autoimmune Disorders<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7a9imfDGsko/VOySzMaAjzI/AAAAAAAAfS4/r-Tx9rCEg7U/s1600/home-clipart.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7a9imfDGsko/VOySzMaAjzI/AAAAAAAAfS4/r-Tx9rCEg7U/s1600/home-clipart.png" height="188" width="200" /></a></div>
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Home is actually a difficult topic for me. No, not because anything bad happened. But I'm under 40 years old and I've lived in:<br />
-3 cities in Michigan<br />
-3 cities in Indiana<br />
-4 cities in Illinois<br />
-3 cities in Minnesota<br />
-2 cities in New York<br />
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That's 15 different places. Which one do I call "home"? My definition of home has become over the years to be wherever I feel a tie to, so that includes .<br />
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So when I saw this week's theme of "close to home", my mind did not immediately go to the location based home, but more so the ancestor that has captivated my heart for the longest time, because I think her story hits a connection to me very close to home.<br />
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When I started in genealogy, my purpose was two fold: one, it was because my grandmother gave me a list of her siblings and when they were born just before she passed on, and two, because I was diagnosed with type I diabetes at age 10, and the doctors were knee deep in a study that said type I diabetes was strongly inherited, and my family didn't know anything about how deep or shallow the diabetic connection was on either side of the family.<br />
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I researched quite a bit on each side of the family but found that the Graves family had a link to many, many autoimmune disorders that were carried down throughout the family. I just kept working back and working back, and finally I stumbled upon Rachel Sipes, who married Enoch Graves. Enoch is a hoot to research on his own (he has three different obituaries under three different names, none of which is Enoch!) but Rachel has really stolen my heart when it comes to research because of this:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PkzU1u9rGY4/VOyWik5Y0LI/AAAAAAAAfTE/_okA55V8g9Q/s1600/0ae728f9-0727-437c-b742-d8504cadfe61.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PkzU1u9rGY4/VOyWik5Y0LI/AAAAAAAAfTE/_okA55V8g9Q/s1600/0ae728f9-0727-437c-b742-d8504cadfe61.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<i>1884 Census from the state of Michigan. Enoch and Rachel's family start with line 14. Click it and it will go full page.</i><br />
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"Line 15, Rachel, 56, female, white, wife, married, no, Canada, New York, Canada, House wife, ulcers on legs, no other infirmity, did not attend school within year, can not read or write, 12 years in Michigan"<br />
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Did you catch that part about "ulcers on legs"? Her son Hezekiah has the same infirmity. Before the discovery of insulin in 1921, untreated diabetics often died very young, and found their risk of loss of limb, ulcers, gangrene, stroke, heart attack and death were much, much higher than the normal population. I believe this is where the genetic mutations that have started the progression of diabetics, celiacs, sarcoidosis, LCMH, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis, thyroid disorders, and severe psoriasis started. Not having listed these sorts of symptoms on previous records, my conclusion would be that she and her son Hezekiah/Heisikiah had one of these autoimmune conditions that were triggered as she got older.<br />
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I've had a lot of experience tracking this woman down. At first, we thought her last name was Shanks. A few hundred documents later, we've pretty much confirmed her name was Sipes. Due to a curious family document, Rachel Shanks was listed with two daughters, Susan and Mary Jane, who were adopted into the family. I had originally thought that she was the Rachael Sipes that married Peter Buckendale the Younger, one of the founding settlers of York, Ontario because she had two daughters listed on the document as . However, that Rachel died young, and the settlers pretty firmly believe that was what happened (though they did admit when I visited that it was possible she just disappeared, never to be found by Peter again).<br />
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<i>Susan Buckendale's marriage certificate to James Innis. Is this Rachel my Rachel? </i></div>
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Rachel captures my heart because of her tie to diabetes in the family, but she's also lived through multiple moves between different cities in Oxford County, Ontario, and Sanilac County, Michigan. And yet she's still a woman of mystery. We can't find a death for her. She's not recorded as being buried next to her daughter Rebecca or her husband in Mt. Zion Cemetery, though there's a disturbing amount of unmarked space around Rebecca's grave.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tlq3Sjl8bAs/VOysiswdBnI/AAAAAAAAfTg/HtRp5EQT_dU/s1600/61042976_128897881235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tlq3Sjl8bAs/VOysiswdBnI/AAAAAAAAfTg/HtRp5EQT_dU/s1600/61042976_128897881235.jpg" height="320" width="187" /></a></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsr=81&GSvcid=380047&GRid=61042976&" target="_blank">Photograph by Don & Wendy McCallum</a> from FindaGrave.</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">And then there's this:</span><br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">"</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">18 November 1846, page 79, Gore District marriage records of Rev. Robert Lindsay, Presbyterian Church: </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 32px;">Thomas GRAVES, Waterloo, to Rachel SIPES, Blenheim. Wit: Thomas Linton, M. McRay."</span></i></div>
There's two possibilities here: 1. Enoch uses a different name again, just like his obituary and it is their marriage. 2. Thomas is someone else, perhaps a cousin? He dies quickly, and Enoch marries his widow.<br />
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In either case, Rachel and Enoch had a prolific marriage that tied them to generations of family in Sanilac County, Michigan, parts of which are still there today.<br />
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Rachel and Enoch's children:<br />
Mary Jane Buckendale Graves 1843 –<br />
Susannah Buckendale Graves 1846 –<br />
John Hazelton Graves 1851 – 1927<br />
Hezekiah Graves 1851 – 1898<br />
Marshall Graves 1855 – 1915<br />
Sheldon Hall Graves 1857 – 1930<br />
Daniel James Graves 1858 – 1916<br />
William Graves 1862 –<br />
Douglas Alexander Graves 1863 – 1919<br />
Burley Graves 1864 –<br />
Enoch Graves 1865 – 1935<br />
Rebecca Graves 1866 – 1881<br />
Charles Henry Graves 1871 – 1945<br />
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I know its probably a strange view of "close to home" for an ancestor that is still a bit of a mystery and for which I don't have a full picture. Yet she is always "close to home" because she is that ancestor whom I do have a interesting tie and she never fails to lead me to something interesting in my research no matter how many times that I pick her case up and put her back down. I've always got an ear out to see what I can learn about her and her situation in life.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">If you want to learn more about the discovery of insulin, I highly recommend Janice Yuwiler's book:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">Yuwiler, Janice M. </span><em style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px; position: relative;">Insulin</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">. Detroit: Lucent Books, 2005. Print. Gre</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">at Medical Discoveries. </span></div>
Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-75789941408160837302015-02-15T13:23:00.000-06:002015-02-19T14:39:47.408-06:0052in52: John Seals / John Soales / Jan Celes and his daughter Phoebe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q1w-65CQhZQ/VNoX-0E1toI/AAAAAAAAfGQ/5rUxMB-loJA/s1600/Trinity_Church_Bird's_Eye_View_New_York_City_1846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q1w-65CQhZQ/VNoX-0E1toI/AAAAAAAAfGQ/5rUxMB-loJA/s1600/Trinity_Church_Bird's_Eye_View_New_York_City_1846.jpg" height="320" width="236" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3a04367/" target="_blank">Birds Eye View of Trinity Church</a> from the public domain</div>
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Good deeds can be taken several different ways. Great land deeds, heroic feats, or people who do good things. Well, I'm going to take it a different way: a scoundrel's line gets redemption through his deed. I'm sure this story has been told a hundred times before, but it was new to my family. My father's grandmother had no idea that she had Dutch ancestors on her mother's line.</div>
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John Seals was born in 1594 in Little Waldingfield, Suffolk, England. Some say Lavenham, Suffolk, England, but its not entirely clear either way which town is correct. I suspect John would enjoy that fact that we cannot find a confirmed place of birth for him! In fact, most of John's early days in Little Waldingfield are unproven, though the family generally accepts that John married Phillip or Phillippa Soales in 1625, and little Phoebe was born first in 1626. They had a second daughter, Sarah, of which it is debated whether or not she died young or was left with a relative in England to live. </div>
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They immigrated to the US in 1630 as a part of the Winthrop fleet, sailing with 1,000 other immigrants (they are listed on the <a href="http://winthropsociety.com/settlers/s-data.htm" target="_blank">Winthrop Society website</a> as a recognized settler), immigrating to Charlestown in 1630.<br />
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This all sounds pretty normal, right? It sounds like a normal family immigrating to a new life of religious freedom. However, John's behavior starts to get him into trouble in Charlestown almost immediately. In 1632, the town records indicate “...the first known thief that was notoriously observed in the country, his name was John Sales who having stolen corn from many people in this scarce time was convicted thereof before the court and openly punished [whipped] and all he had by law condemned and sold to make restitution." Oops...embarrassed (hopefully) John picks up and moves to Boston with Phoebe in 1633.<br />
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Except his bad habits get him in trouble again. From the Boston records:<br />
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”John Sayles (Sales) being convicted of feloniously taking away corn and fish from diverse persons the last year and this, as also clapboards, etc., is censured by the court after this manner: That all his estate shall be forfeited, out of which double restitution shall be made to those whom he hath wronged, shall be whipped, and bound as servant with any that will retain him for 3 years, and after to be disposed of by the Court as they shall think meet. John Sayle is bound with Mr. Coxeshall for 3 years, for which he is to give him 4 pounds per annum; his daughter is also bound with him for 14 years [until she was 21].”<br />
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This time he brings Phoebe down with him. He tries to run away in 1634, and is severely whipped, then in 1637, he succeeds in getting away from the Puritans and surfaces in 1638 in New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island with Phoebe. He "Dutchifies" his name to Jan Celes and continues to stir up trouble in New Amsterdam, ranging from wounding the livestock of the neighbors to ordering farm supplies and not paying for them. In 1645, " “who, being wounded and lying sick abed”, Jan Celes writes his will and testament and passes on to the next life. From reading about him, I can only imagine that he must have had some sort of mental illness, illness, or addiction issues to do something like "cut the cow of little Manuel with a chopping knife", for example (from the records of New Amsterdam).<br />
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Phoebe, I'm guessing, was irritated by her father and his behavior reflecting on her. In 1637, she is released from her bond to Mr. Coxeshal (from the Boston records):<br />
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"In regard Phebe Seales was, by order of Court, put apprentice to John Coggesall, of Boston, merchant, who at this instant request of the Courte, accepted same and for that the said girle hath proved over burthesome to him, the Court, as formerly, so nowe, have thought it is just to ease him of it; and whereas the said girle was put by the said John Cossesall to one John Levins, of Roxbury, to be kept at a certeine [ ], it is now ordered, that M. Debutie, calling to him M Brenton and Will; Parks, chosen by the said 2 parties shall have power to end the difference between the said parties; and disposeing of the said Phebe, as they shall think equall. "<br />
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Just two years after coming to New Amsterdam (1640), she marries Teunnis Nyssen and is forever known as "Femmetje Jans", "Phaeba Faelix" (Daughter of Jan and Phebe Seals in the Dutch translation).<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cVhn7uxjZxU/VNokQb4zbbI/AAAAAAAAfGg/gFfky0XYcok/s1600/Map%2Bof%2BDutch%2BProperties.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cVhn7uxjZxU/VNokQb4zbbI/AAAAAAAAfGg/gFfky0XYcok/s1600/Map%2Bof%2BDutch%2BProperties.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://earlymanhattan.tumblr.com/post/65758887044/farms-8-12-21-41-1639-manatus-map#sdendnote5sym" target="_blank">Map of New Amsterdam from Early Manhattan History</a></div>
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Which brings me back to the beginning. Just how did a deed redeem "Old Jan" as he was known? The map above from Early Manhattan History's Tumbler shows the area of the island that John Seals owned. South of number 11 and west of number 9, its not marked on the map, but it was there. John left in his will half his property to Teunis Nyssen and the other half to Maria Roberts. Maria's half was sold when she remarried, but Teunis' property stayed with him until 17 June 1651, when he sold it to Augustyn Heermans. Augustyn then deeded the land to Rutger Jacobsen, who deeded it to Trinity Church. Trinity Church didn't immediately use the land, leasing some to Abraham Mortimer. (from <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=AwoIAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA147&lpg=PA147&dq=%22teunis+nyssen%22+%22trinity+church%22&source=bl&ots=uOOm_mlsgm&sig=iT5Oh0p8RsKZidxLL0qsKBWzAik&hl=en&sa=X&ei=QCDaVMmQEMb-yQSrvYF4&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22teunis%20nyssen%22%20%22trinity%20church%22&f=false" target="_blank">The Iconography of Manhattan Island</a>)<br />
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So with one deed, the scoundrel John Seals unwittingly started a chain to one of the oldest and proudest monuments of virtue, piety, and good behavior in the USA, Trinity Church.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fsscJOO76nE/VNowW5LYD2I/AAAAAAAAfGw/IJkb9QKKl4o/s1600/4a08581r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fsscJOO76nE/VNowW5LYD2I/AAAAAAAAfGw/IJkb9QKKl4o/s1600/4a08581r.jpg" height="320" width="253" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/det.4a08581/" target="_blank">Trinity Church, from the Library of Congress</a></div>
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For further reading:</div>
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-Elder, Barnett, and Related Genealogies: <a href="http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~socrateselder/pafn33.htm" target="_blank">Citations and Will of John Seals (#4614)</a>.</div>
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-<a href="http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ghosthunter/Anneke/page1.htm" target="_blank">The Anneke Jans and Everardus Bogardus Descendants Association</a></div>
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-<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Root-Branch-African-Americans-1613-1863/dp/080784778X" target="_blank">Root & branch: African Americans in New York & east Jersey, 1613-1863</a> By Graham Russell Hodges</div>
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-<a href="http://www.history.com/news/the-dutch-surrender-new-netherland-350-years-ago" target="_blank">History in the Headlines by the History Channel</a> - contains a lovely 1660 map of New Netherland.</div>
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Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-24353932535061371862015-02-09T17:03:00.000-06:002015-02-09T17:03:12.997-06:0052in52: Sylvanus T Snell and Susan Tunison <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hyyulmF6Qb0/VNkOg8kKfzI/AAAAAAAAfFc/2V8XrLzH6yU/s1600/-LOVE-love-36983825-1680-1050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hyyulmF6Qb0/VNkOg8kKfzI/AAAAAAAAfFc/2V8XrLzH6yU/s1600/-LOVE-love-36983825-1680-1050.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>This sort of makes me think of genealogy and love at the same time. Courtesy Wikipedia Commons.</i></div>
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I had to think long and hard about this weeks' theme: LOVE. I thought about writing about my grandfather, who loved love enough to marry ... a lot. I thought about writing about my grandmother, who died when I was a child and I loved dearly. I thought about writing about my grandparents on my dad's side, because they were together through thick and thin. But I came back to this couple, because I've always thought that they were an example of the endurance of love through harsh journeys, separations, and the growth of love through the proliferation of the family and their family legacy.<br />
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Sylvanus T (possible Traverse or Travis) Snell was born in 1801 in New York or New Jersey. His son's biography says that he was born in New Jersey, but there was a much larger group of Snell family members in New York, so I would tend to think that his records that say New York are probably more correct. Sylvanus married Susan Tunison sometime between 1820 and 1830, likely in Herkimer or Steuben County, New York. She was born in 1806 in New Jersey, but grew up in upstate New York. My guess is that they were married close to 1830, because their first son, Jacob, was born in 1831 and children came regularly after that - John, in 1833, Sylvanus Jr. in 1835, Elizabeth Ann in 1836, Abigail in 1840, and George A Snell in 1844.<br />
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While that paints a picture of a loving family, there's a bit more to the story. Upstate New York was fairly bought up in the 1830s. There wasn't much room for opportunity for a person to become a large landholder and wealthy as per the definition at the time. So in 1836, Sylvanus ventured to Michigan and found a wild and free area of western Michigan and bought 320 acres of land from speculators in the set up Easton Township, Ionia County, Michigan. He then came back to New York, realized their family was in no state to move, and stayed in New York, moving from Herkimer County in 1820 to Steuben County in 1840. Having done daycare myself, I can imagine the horror of trying to visualize moving three children under the age of 5 in 1836 as well as my wife and household!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oxD428YNO4o/VNkWQgt-6PI/AAAAAAAAfGA/vehieGoVbGk/s1600/77816ffb-9bd9-4256-9e3a-9937857b754c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oxD428YNO4o/VNkWQgt-6PI/AAAAAAAAfGA/vehieGoVbGk/s1600/77816ffb-9bd9-4256-9e3a-9937857b754c.jpg" height="251" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>1840 US Federal Census from Bradford, Steuben Co, New York.</i></div>
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We know that Sylvanus and Susan were still in New York since we have the censuses, but we also know little John Snell passed away in New York, a death unmarked by vital records and gravestones. Yet he remains in the family memory.<br />
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By 1849, the couple and their five children moved to Easton, finding the property as wild as when Sylvanus had first seen it in 1836. It was rough and tumble, but Sylvanus made a go of things and he and Susan had a loving home and a family that was well known within the community. Sylvanus and Susan donated land to build Easton Cemetery, forever cementing a legacy. What Sylvanus did NOT count on, however, was that he would pass away just two years after moving his family to Ionia County. On 22 June 1851, Sylvanus died in Easton, Ionia, Michigan. How we know this is through his tombstone in the cemetery on his land donated to the city, because this is before the advent of vital records in Michigan and is therefore not kept in such records as Seeking Michigan, GENDIS, or by Ionia County.<br />
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I can only imagine how heartbroken Susan was, a widow at merely 44 years old, already having lost one child, and now left alone with four children to finish raising before sending them off into their own. Jacob Snell, my ancestor, had already moved onto a part of the property gifted to him by his father's estate with his wife Almira Kellogg. Susan kept on, keeping George Snell in school until age 16. Each son received large donations of cash or land from the estate, allowing the family to keep independent in Easton for many years to come.<br />
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<a href="http://mediasvc.ancestry.com/v2/image/namespaces/1093/media/23c951d5-5b63-4e28-b792-6d264d88b7c6?client=TreesUI" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://mediasvc.ancestry.com/v2/image/namespaces/1093/media/23c951d5-5b63-4e28-b792-6d264d88b7c6?client=TreesUI" height="302" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>This 1875 map of Easton Township shows the lands owned by Sylvanus T Snell, Jr., George A Snell, and Jacob Snell as well as Easton Cemetery, all on the original 320 acres purchased by Sylvanus and Susan.</i></div>
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Susan never remarried, moving in as a beloved grandmother and caretaker with her sons (Sylvanus in 1870, and George A in 1880) before passing away in 1884, laid to rest next to Sylvanus in Easton Cemetery:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rFcmp9zSm70/VNkVw-rrXGI/AAAAAAAAfFw/FxS5__5jK9s/s1600/27d82174-5650-4049-ad21-f6bdf8a84207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rFcmp9zSm70/VNkVw-rrXGI/AAAAAAAAfFw/FxS5__5jK9s/s1600/27d82174-5650-4049-ad21-f6bdf8a84207.jpg" height="181" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ThzPtX6dN50/VNkVwtbi9wI/AAAAAAAAfFs/cslJ722TG0Q/s1600/55f30ddf-6ded-47cc-b5a4-9ec071bca598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ThzPtX6dN50/VNkVwtbi9wI/AAAAAAAAfFs/cslJ722TG0Q/s1600/55f30ddf-6ded-47cc-b5a4-9ec071bca598.jpg" height="185" width="200" /></a></div>
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<i>Detailed photos of the Snell tombstone by David Alan Snell. I've got similar photos, but his are much easier to read.</i></div>
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Unlike most of my mom's family, this family stayed in one place. Their love shows in their connection to the land. Even though the city of Easton seems to have largely forgotten the legacy of the Snell family (there's not even a record of them at the Ionia County library's genealogy files), the family land is part of a centennial farm in Easton, descended from Sylvanus to Jacob, from Jacob to his son Orson Traverse Snell, and from Orson to his youngest daughter Sylvia Snell Rasmussen, half sister to my 2nd great grandmother, Edna Mae Snell Webber. In 2013, I had the pleasure of visiting the property and you could just feel the love radiating throughout. Over 150 years in the same family. Sylvanus and Susan could not have made a better legacy for the Snell family. I doubt they could have predicted what would happen to them along their marriage, but it made it through, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, and that's why they are the example of love I chose to tell this week.<br />
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<i>Photographs of the Snell-Rasmussen family farm and Easton Cemetery are by Concetta Phillipps. Make sure to click to see the larger, more readable versions!</i></div>
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Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-71465990590998748912015-02-03T17:30:00.000-06:002015-02-03T17:33:04.882-06:00Translating a Crochet Pattern when you're not a translator<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u5X9g1eMQaQ/VNEsZIWDZaI/AAAAAAAAfDQ/19SeLuwo9hY/s1600/Hello_Kitty___Desktop_icon_by_3dera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u5X9g1eMQaQ/VNEsZIWDZaI/AAAAAAAAfDQ/19SeLuwo9hY/s1600/Hello_Kitty___Desktop_icon_by_3dera.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.deviantart.com/morelikethis/170076884" target="_blank">Hello Kitty by 3dera</a></div>
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Isn't she adorable? I love Hello Kitty and so do many fans throughout the world. I think there's a small army of folks putting out amigurumi, sweaters, granny squares and other such things into the world.<br />
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Unfortunately, sometimes they're in a language that we don't speak, read, or understand. This causes many crocheters and knitters to fall into the temper tantrum phase "Why isn't it in English? Why can't everyone write in English?" is a common refrain in online forums and stitching groups. Warning: this may get a little long but its got lots of pictures! :-)<br />
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At this point, you have two options:<br />
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1. Get a translator. Pay someone, barter with a friend, write to the designer and hope they know someone.<br />
OR<br />
2. Try to translate it yourself. You don't have to do it alone! Let's try to do some together before sending you off on your own.<br />
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We're going to use a pattern called "La Petite Sirène Kitty" by Tiamat Creations. You can find the PDF at <a href="http://tiamat.creations.free.fr/cariboost5/cariboost_files/sirene_20kitty.pdf" target="_blank">her website here</a>.<br />
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Starting at the beginning, make sure to load up Google Translate (<a href="http://translate.google.com/">http://translate.google.com/</a>). Make sure the language is set to "Detect Language". If its not, clicking it will activate it. Also make sure the end language is English.) Tiamat's patterns are a good place to start to teach you two things:<br />
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1. Google Translate doesn't directly translate PDFs.<br />
2. Google Translate doesn't translate pictures.<br />
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Start by typing in the name of the pattern, "La Petite Sirène Kitty". We find out that this is "The Little Mermaid Kitty". Cute!<br />
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Now a lot of you have probably said "Great! What's this "fournitures" section?" and went ahead and typed it in exactly as it is on screen.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F2yAT_MjvF0/VNEv6U4iK5I/AAAAAAAAfDc/rGkcNtG60hg/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F2yAT_MjvF0/VNEv6U4iK5I/AAAAAAAAfDc/rGkcNtG60hg/s1600/Capture.JPG" /></a></div>
This is what came out (a portion) when I typed it into Google Translate exactly as it is (with 2 intentional errors). Many people give up at this point and figure that Google Translate just doesn't know what it's talking about. Here's the thing: you need to know a little about how to computer thinks in order to make this work. The translation software looks at the words that are typed into it. So something like a dash could make all the difference. The second is, this is NOT spell check. It's not going to tell you if there's a problem. It *might* tell you if you missed an accent, but more than likely its not going to tell you anything.<br />
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When I put a space after each dash and correct my spelling error in aiguille, it magically becomes:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--kbFar2kkKU/VNEw6s3AGxI/AAAAAAAAfDw/vh49k1GRU8k/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--kbFar2kkKU/VNEw6s3AGxI/AAAAAAAAfDw/vh49k1GRU8k/s1600/Capture.JPG" /></a></div>
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Success! We now have a supply list for what we need for the project (I've not copied everything here, but you can easily type this short list into Translate. You don't even need to worry about the accents.<br />
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Wait...but what if you want to do the accents? If you know your alt key codes, go for it! If not, I generally recommend <a href="http://symbolcodes.tlt.psu.edu/accents/codealt.html" target="_blank">copying and pasting the letters at this website</a> for use in Google Translate.<br />
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So now we're at the part of the pattern that is actually the pattern. The first couple sentences translate easily.<br />
Corps (Body)<br />
faire une boucle, en jaune (do/use the boucle, in yellow)<br />
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Go ahead and type into Google translate what the first two lines say. What pops out in English is this:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZtdWfLWB5zs/VNEx_Qw_GTI/AAAAAAAAfD8/AWbWLv-blbE/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZtdWfLWB5zs/VNEx_Qw_GTI/AAAAAAAAfD8/AWbWLv-blbE/s1600/Capture.JPG" height="57" width="320" /></a></div>
Kudos to you if you remember what I said earlier about Google Translate reading exactly what words you type into it. That's the problem above - it can't find a word combined with numbers. So I'm going to clean that up and we get this:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RaKXzQX5LfQ/VNEydPsCwSI/AAAAAAAAfEE/oN42L74Dlgo/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RaKXzQX5LfQ/VNEydPsCwSI/AAAAAAAAfEE/oN42L74Dlgo/s1600/Capture.JPG" height="59" width="320" /></a></div>
Alright, this is looking better! It's starting to resemble crochet instructions. But what does "put your score" mean? And what's "aug"? And why do all the rows end with a number and "m"?<br />
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If you're an experienced crocheter, you might have guessed what the "rg 1" "rg 2" "(12 m)" and "(18 m)" mean. Sometimes experience has its benefits! Here we stumble again upon the limits of automatic translation: it doesn't do abbreviations. It has no way of figuring out what the meaning of an abbreviation is.<br />
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At this point, you have to find a way to find out what the abbreviation is. Sometimes a pattern will have a key (especially if its from a major publisher). Many independent patterns like this, however, do NOT have a key. So we have to make an assumption that the designer is using a standard language that they know everyone French knows already. We can use this assumption to our advantage and use one of the many published term glossaries that are out there. My favorite is from Garnstudio because I can play with many different ways of listing the translated terms. For example, here's the <a href="http://www.garnstudio.com/glossary.php?langf=en&langt=fr" target="_blank">English to French dictionary</a>. But this is only from UK English to French. If I want to get US English to French, I need to do a little work.<br />
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http://www.garnstudio.com/glossary.php?langf=en&langt=fr</div>
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See the en and fr in the link above? If I change en to us I get US English to French. But that's kind of annoying, because I need a French term to go to English. If I tweak the link one more time, I can get a list of French terms in alphabetical order translated into US English:<br />
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http://www.garnstudio.com/glossary.php?langf=fr&langt=us</div>
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Isn't that cool? It's very useful for doing patterns in many languages. It will work for any language they offer, including:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dHzN49wSXME/VNE1XMpApQI/AAAAAAAAfEQ/z23iI4fa5WM/s1600/DROPSLanguages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dHzN49wSXME/VNE1XMpApQI/AAAAAAAAfEQ/z23iI4fa5WM/s1600/DROPSLanguages.jpg" /></a></div>
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So we can scroll down the list and find "aug" means "augmenter" which is "increase" in English. You can then run through the list and fill in the other terms in the Google Translate box. To save us time I'm going to go ahead and write out the lines:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HB95mabQ-lA/VNE2fW24sAI/AAAAAAAAfEc/44j-wq8w834/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HB95mabQ-lA/VNE2fW24sAI/AAAAAAAAfEc/44j-wq8w834/s1600/Capture.JPG" height="86" width="400" /></a></div>
This then gets you, in English:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Q9ghwvX0iI/VNE6DgSsh1I/AAAAAAAAfE4/bPun53gHr2M/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Q9ghwvX0iI/VNE6DgSsh1I/AAAAAAAAfE4/bPun53gHr2M/s1600/Capture.JPG" height="51" width="400" /></a></div>
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As you can see now, we've got a perfectly readable pattern, albeit with some stylistic differences from how we normally see it. BUT there's a trick here! In both line 1 and line 3 we have the abbreviation "MS" which means "maille serree". Yet in one line, it is SC and in the other line it is DC. Here's where we find the last fault of Google Translate: it is not going to tell you what's correct, it will only tell you what the most people do. In the US, we would use SC, and in the UK, they would use DC ...<u> FOR THE SAME STITCH</u>. So Google Translate tries to be helpful and tell you both ways that you can translate it.<br />
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A savvy stitcher needs to be watchful for these types of "friendly" errors! In this case, Tiamat graciously provides a chart so we can double check and see that with the X symbol on the chart for single crochet, she means do single crochets throughout the pattern.<br />
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If you use Google translate to do the rest of the pattern, you can both change this option AND help your fellow stitchers.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">If you click on the words, you can see alternate translations for the term that you're selecting. You can then make the correction. If you're like me and a stickler for wording, you can then clean up the English by clicking the "wrong" button and submitting the cleaned up version to the Google Translate database. When you do this, your translation will turn blue, like this:</span></div>
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Now you can continue translating the rest of the pattern. After awhile, you'll get used to what the repeated abbreviations mean and be able to write it out without translating first.<br />
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Eventually, you're going to come upon terms that don't translate at all, or terms that aren't in the DROPS dictionary, or a phrase that you don't understand. At that point, you have some options:<br />
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1. Try a different term dictionary. Not every dictionary is perfectly, 100% complete. There are always local variations, too, like between Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese, or Caribbean French and Canadian French and regular French, etc. Try the <a href="http://string-or-nothing.com/international-glossary/" target="_blank">String or Nothing dictionary</a>, its quite useful. Or the <a href="http://www.proz.com/personal-glossary/47987?glossary=26197" target="_blank">Proz</a> site.<br />
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2. Try a different online translator. <a href="http://www.babelfish.com/" target="_blank">Babelfish</a> translates differently than Google Translate so I use it often to double check troublesome phrases. Sometimes Babelfish can make sense of it due to the way its programmed versus the Google Translate programming.<br />
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3. Go for help! The folks at <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/groups/excuse-me" target="_blank">"Excuse Me?" on Ravelry</a> can help with troublesome phrases (just don't ask for the whole pattern to be translated without permission - we're not going to violate anyone's copyright!), networking native speakers with the people who need translation help. Try your Facebook friends. Or sites like Yahoo Answers can network you with people who can help you translate those troublesome phrases.<br />
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At this point, you should be ready to crochet. My last piece of advice to you is to have patience! Trying something like this for the first time (and for the tenth time, and the hundredth time...) can reduce your usual stitching confidence level. Errors might happen, typos happen, and design changes can happen along the way as you get used to how the pattern is written and how you liked to stitch. Hopefully you end up with a beautiful mermaid Kitty just like this <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/fredsy/petite-sirene-kitty" target="_blank">one by Fredsy</a>.</div>
Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-75818851893903084892015-01-29T17:00:00.000-06:002015-02-03T15:34:18.946-06:0052in52: Mary "Polly" Ferguson Graves, b. 1798-1799 Vermont, m. Daniel Graves, d. ???<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was chatting on Facebook with a distant cousin the other day, and I realized I had never fully shared the story of Mary "Polly" Ferguson on this blog or anywhere else. Week 3's theme for 52 ancestors in 52 weeks was "Tough Woman" and I think Polly is the epitome of "tough".<br />
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Years and years of family lore and documents from the children of Daniel Graves have listed Mary Ferguson of Vermont as being the wife of Daniel Graves. When I was at the University of Illinois at Chicago, I found the below in their early newspapers collection, from the Bennington, Vermont Bennington News Letter on 6 July 1813. Polly is a common nickname for Mary, so it fit like a glove.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_2s41bNDIl4/VMqDmO0TslI/AAAAAAAAfBU/tANMfW9O8XY/s1600/6%2BJuly%2B1813%2BMarriage%2BNotice%2Bfrom%2Bthe%2BBennington%2BNews%2BLetter%2BBennington%2C%2BVT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_2s41bNDIl4/VMqDmO0TslI/AAAAAAAAfBU/tANMfW9O8XY/s1600/6%2BJuly%2B1813%2BMarriage%2BNotice%2Bfrom%2Bthe%2BBennington%2BNews%2BLetter%2BBennington%2C%2BVT.jpg" height="92" width="320" /></a></div>
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Problem solved, right? WRONG! ;-) This newspaper publishing is the only mention of this marriage. There is no record of it in the town clerk's records, nor in the town's church records, nor in the state of Vermont's vital records.<br />
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So I did the logical thing - I hired the local researcher from the museum at Bennington to help me figure out what the heck is going on. Unfortunately, this only added to the mystery:<br />
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"<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Then there an official record of the marriage of Polly Graves and Sebastian Wager on Nov. 18, 1834, signed by the town clerk of Bennington. So, what do you suppose happened to Daniel Graves? There is no death record for him in the Vermont vitals and no burial record in any Bennington cemetery."</span><br />
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I started looking into Polly Graves and Sebastian Wager/Wagar, and realized that this Polly Graves referred to is someone else, Polly Thomas Graves:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HfL8Oiph9C0/VMqGRawWV1I/AAAAAAAAfBs/cxtn3IU5n9E/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HfL8Oiph9C0/VMqGRawWV1I/AAAAAAAAfBs/cxtn3IU5n9E/s1600/Capture.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
(Vermont, Vital Records, 1760-1954," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V894-VFJ ), Polly Wagar, 27 Apr 1866, Death; State Capitol Building, Montpelier; FHL microfilm 27,716.)<br />
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So Polly Thomas married a Graves (researchers are currently unsure of who, as of 2012), and then married Sebastian Wagar. So that's a dead end as well.<br />
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About this time, I found an 1850 census entry in Gouverneur, St. Lawrence, New York that fit the family well:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0VMtmDLZRrc/VMqGurxRaZI/AAAAAAAAfB0/D8OiHs9R3a0/s1600/1850DanielGravesedit.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0VMtmDLZRrc/VMqGurxRaZI/AAAAAAAAfB0/D8OiHs9R3a0/s1600/1850DanielGravesedit.gif" height="111" width="320" /></a></div>
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(Year: 1850; Census Place: Gouverneur, Saint Lawrence, New York; Roll: M432_589; Page: 192B; Image: 392)</div>
Which clearly show Polly as alive and well, age 52, born in Vermont with her children John, Justus, Sheldon "Hawley", Hazelton, Lewis, and Betsey (where Enoch, Hezekiah, Rebecca, and Pittman are...well, that's another story).<br />
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It was about this same time that I was able to reach Michelle Knoll of Ontario, who has done quite extensive research on the Ferguson family in Vermont. Her research is where I believe we are going to find more information on just who Mary "Polly" Ferguson really is.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g_4jYx3x9Y8/VMqIZosmcLI/AAAAAAAAfCA/zlLGdGHfsuU/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g_4jYx3x9Y8/VMqIZosmcLI/AAAAAAAAfCA/zlLGdGHfsuU/s1600/Capture.JPG" height="170" width="400" /></a></div>
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As you can see here, Michelle believes that Mary "Polly" Ferguson fits in as the first daughter of Thomas Ferguson and Lydia (possibly Lydia Fraser).<br />
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As you can see by the text style, this was some years ago when I contacted Michelle, and I had completely forgotten about her work with this family until I started piecing together Daniel Graves and Mary Ferguson for a week 1 "52 ancestors in 52 weeks" blog. Daniel's going to have to wait, but I think Mary "Polly" Ferguson's story deserves to be told. She's a "tough" woman in that she lived in early Vermont and traveled through Vermont to multiple residences in New York, Ontario, and back again, but also in that what information we have has been pieced together extremely slowly and with a lot of off-line genealogy. This is not an ancestor where you can click twice and have a full ancestral profile!<br />
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Mary "Polly" Ferguson's life is not yet complete - we know she was in Bennington, Bennington, Vermont around 1798 through her marriage in 1813, Aurelius, Cayuga, New York in 1820, Auburn, Cayuga, New York in 1830, Lyme, Jefferson, New York in 1840, and Gouverneur, St. Lawrence, New York in 1850. Where she lies today is still a mystery. As I chip away at the years of missing time between when the Graves children leave New York and come to Michigan, I hope to find more about her. For a relative back far in my past with little documentary evidence, she has captured my imagination and I've continued to work on her slowly but surely since I started in genealogy nearly 24 years ago and will continue to work on her as I progress through new records coming online every week.</div>
Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-19439731420723405052015-01-05T17:23:00.000-06:002015-01-05T17:23:00.622-06:00Buona Epifana e Befana! with regular and gluten free options<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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La Befana, courtesy of JD Adams</div>
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After my last couple columns talking about Christmas, I had an offline conversation with another Italian gal about a curious custom in Italy to celebrate the Epiphany on January 6, 12 days after Christmas. As she explained, first La Befana was a witch, just giving children sweet coal if they were naughty and toys and treats if they were good. But then it was taken over by the Christians, and so La Befana, the good witch, became a part of Christ's Epiphany story. </div>
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<a href="http://ffaasstt.swide.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/epiphany-5-traditional-italian-sweets-recipes-for-la-befana-coal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Epiphany: 5 traditional Italian sweets recipes for la befana coal" border="0" src="http://ffaasstt.swide.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/epiphany-5-traditional-italian-sweets-recipes-for-la-befana-coal.jpg" height="117" width="200" /></a></div>
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(Sweet coal from Flagranta delicia, a unique Epihany treat for the naughty. Gluten free naturally, <a href="http://www.flagrantedelicia.com/en/decorations/theres-christmas-also-for-bad-kids/" target="_blank">here's her recipe</a>.)</div>
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As such things go, there became a whole event around the introduction of La Befana to the story. She was supposed to be part of the 3 wise men group. She was too busy doing her housework to go, so she told them she would catch them later with the new infant Christ and steered them in the direction to go. Only they went back another way, and they missed her. D'oh! So she spreads her gifts and sweets around to good children (and sweet coal to the bad), hoping to find the Christ child she missed seeing the first time. What I love about this story is that it embodies what the world thought the Italian woman was like. Hardworking. Bossy in a way only a Nonna could be. Generous to a fault. And spreading around tons and tons of sweets! </div>
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Invariably at this point when I start talking about this people at the table go off about one of three things:</div>
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1. <span style="color: purple;">"You hate Christians, don't you?"</span> No, I just happen to be honest about my family's religious choice. In fact, I rather think the early church leaders were models of efficiency - why not take advantage of already planned festivities and use them to further the goals of the religion?</div>
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2. <span style="color: purple;">"Why the heck do we need another holiday?"</span> and 3. <span style="color: purple;">"Isn't Christmas enough? I don't understand"</span>.Well, actually, there's really a smart reasoning to the pair of holidays...</div>
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What the problem is that with recycling holidays and adding local legends into them is that invariably, some parts of the tale get mish moshed around. Where most nativity sets include the three wise men, the actuality was that the three wise men didn't arrive until the twelfth night, where Christ was proclaimed him as the son of God. So you can see where people get confused - there really is two separate holidays, one the birth of Christ and the second his proclamation, called the Epiphany. Whether you choose to celebrate them or not, I think they are actually quite effective as a pair, and here's why: </div>
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Macafame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Macafame.jpg" height="106" width="200" /></a></div>
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(a very close relative to Pinza Veneta, from Wikipedia)</div>
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In Italy, as I've mentioned, there's the feast of the seven fishes on Christmas, with lots of Christmas sweets. Nougat. Candied fruits. Pandoro. Panettone. Etc. Etc. Etc. It can quite frankly be overwhelming and there can be oodles of food leftover. In the spirit of La Befana, the efficient cleaning housewitch, Epiphany is the time to reuse those leftovers and make them into something new. Pinza Veneta is a good example of that. Old bread lying around? Extra candied fruit? Ground too much corn meal for polenta? Throw that puppy together and make it a sweet new dessert so the kiddos don't get tired of eating it. You can make it with regular bread and flour and even throw some grappa in there for good measure (here's <a href="http://www.incucinapercaso.com/pinza-veneta-la-mia-ricetta/" target="_blank">the recipe</a>, scroll down for the English version) but you can also just as easily make this a gluten free delicacy. <a href="http://ricettesenzaglutine.wordpress.com/2015/01/03/pinza-veneta-della-befana/" target="_blank">Alessia Piva's gluten free version</a> is in Italian but if you can't read in the Italian, it translates very well with Google Translate (surprisingly!). So you see - you can overindulge in baking at Christmas, and have a neat holiday with which one can clean up the larder. And the cool part about Epiphany? People go from house to house, helping you clean up your leftovers! It's like an impromptu progressive dinner, without all the organizational pains.</div>
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Now, my family lived hundreds of miles away from my Italian grandfather, so I don't know for sure if they ever celebrated this or not (I really need to talk to my aunts and father about that!). But I like to think that my grandfather would totally approve of this holiday, because he was a "waste not, want not" kind of guy. Extra pie filling? Make fruit pancakes the next day. Random mechanical gadget? Weld it to a base and we have a rotating Christmas tree stand. My grandparents' garage was a garden of interesting mechanical and wooden things that my brother and I would sneak into during the summer to find interesting things to play with (and some things that we probably shouldn't have, like Jarts, but we survived, all limbs intact). My sort-of-Irish grandmother loved Christmas and kept it up until mid-January, so they just as easily could have had a nice dinner with the nativity sets and Christmas lights. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vsp1RhwJYqY/VKsSPUyYBTI/AAAAAAAAe7s/1l1O-EzbP78/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vsp1RhwJYqY/VKsSPUyYBTI/AAAAAAAAe7s/1l1O-EzbP78/s1600/Capture.JPG" height="274" width="320" /></a></div>
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Isn't that a great picture? That's my grandparents from 26 December 1984, in the Lake Orion Review. You can read the full article on page 24 of the edition in <a href="http://orionlibrary.org/idigorion/" target="_blank">iDigOrion</a>, which is like, the best thing ever for Lake Orion researchers! In fact, their Christmas display got even larger after that, with dozens of people visiting and my grandfather starting to put up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving.</div>
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Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-66812315639594023432014-12-22T18:21:00.000-06:002014-12-22T18:21:59.616-06:00Christmas Desserts for Italians (with gluten free options)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img alt="Pandoro cut 01.jpg" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Pandoro_cut_01.jpg/300px-Pandoro_cut_01.jpg" height="200" width="200" /> <img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Tiramisu_with_cholocate_sauce_at_Ferrara_in_Little_Italy,_New_York_City.jpg" height="141" style="text-align: left;" width="200" /> <img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Panettone_vero.jpg" height="148" style="text-align: left;" width="200" /></div>
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My family is not one that's big on desserts. For whatever reason, we never extended the Christmas traditions beyond pies, and I think birthday cake was as fancy as it got when I was younger. If you were *really* good, you got the German chocolate cake with real coconut in the frosting for your birthday. My mum made a fruitcake for my English grandfather every year, I just don't think we're a "sweet" driven kind of family - there was always more fruit in the house than anything else, and my mum would do wondrous things with vegetables, so I always wanted those first. </div>
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But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate a good dessert now and then. My husband's ice cream comes first to the list (especially the lemon/vanilla one he did a few years ago). After that, all the desserts I explored with him as we learned about my northern Italian heritage, so I hope you all don't mind indulging me in a roundup of the things I learned about Italian desserts during the holiday season.</div>
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When I started dating my husband, we started exploring the Twin Cities and found Cossetta's Restaurant in St. Paul, which became a highlight of some of my most cherished memories of that time period (and some very entertaining ones, too!). Cossetta's introduced me to tiramisu, the first wonderful and remarkably Italian dessert I had ever had, full of rich mascarpone cheese and crunchy ladyfingers. When we walked downstairs into the deli portion of the restaurant, along with the many different kinds of antipasti, pizza doughs, and pastas, we found a new product that I had never seen before, panettone. I bought a small one (I was on a high school's paycheck after all) and tried it at home with my dad. I was hooked! Light, softly flavored sweetness and bits of dried fruit for fun, the panettone was the best version of fruitcake I had ever tasted. When I discovered my celiac disease, well, I had to find a recipe for it that tasted just like I remembered that first time. Nichole from <a href="http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/christmas-panettone-bread/">Gluten Free on A Shoestring</a> really delivered (though I changed her fruits to more traditional ones). </div>
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As my husband and I continued to date, got engaged, and eventually married we found other forms of tiramisu that were just as good as Cossetta's, but in different ways. Buca di Beppo's version was delightfully boozy and over the top in flavor. Franchesca's was light and fluffy with a fabulous espresso flavor. I wasn't surprised when Treviso, the province of my grandfather's family in Italy, came out in 2013 and <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10261930/Tiramisu-claimed-by-Treviso.html">asked for tiramisu to get a Specialità tradizionale garantita</a> status, giving it a heritage dating back to 1970s there. Even in the comments, the ingredients are debated and changed, depending on the family recipe that they were using. So when <a href="http://udisglutenfree.com/recipes/gluten-free-tiramisu/">Udi's Gluten Free winner Bonita came out with a recipe</a>, I didn't hesitate to try it even though it would be different than all of the other tiramisus I remember. Rich and meringue-y, it tastes different than any other version I've had. With my husband no longer drinking, the recipes will morph yet again as we change to a booze-free version of tiramisu. In all honesty, most of the time the booze was not necessary for the dessert - Buca's is really the only one that has done it well. I prefer to think about it as going back to the heritage of the dish, as the story says tiramisu is an after dinner pick-me-up that was invented to help prostitutes get back to work after long Italian meals. </div>
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But when we actually went to Italy for our honeymoon, my world was opened to a whole new set of ideas of what my beloved Italian ancestors would have in their Christmas celebrations. Fresh torrone from the candymaker's stall at the market, stiff and chewy, full of nuts and fruit and all the things that nougat makes better :-) Naturally gluten free, it was one of the first desserts I turned to in order to remember the sweetness of the holiday. <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/339719/pistachio-honey-torrone" target="_blank">Martha Stewart's recipe</a> is pretty decent if you want to try making some of your own, or get some from Cost Plus World Market fresh. It hardens too much if you let it sit too long and then you're liable to crack a tooth on it. </div>
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<img alt="Pandoro cut 01.jpg" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Pandoro_cut_01.jpg/300px-Pandoro_cut_01.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></div>
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Pandoro was next (the name STILL irritates me as the spelling and grammarian in me wants it to be properly "pan d'oro").Warm, sweet, and bread like, the best part of it in Venice was that they cut squares of it to serve with rich vanilla gelato and sprinkled with spicy cinnamon to create a wonderful sweet and spicy dessert. Pandoro being from Verona I was surprised to see it served there, but true to Venetian style, there was a multitude of desserts from many Italian provinces available. Schar's bread mix makes a wonderful base for this for the gluten free crowd, and <a href="http://www.schaer.com/en/gluten-free-cooking/desserts/pandoro-di-verona#_=_" target="_blank">their recipe</a> is quite easy to make, Of course, you can't stay mad for long in Venice, because they're already feeding you the next amazing thing. The next item on my dessert list is a uniquely silly and Venetian thing, because only they would think to do something like make a rich creme dessert even richer. I've not found this recipe in the gluten free world yet (though when I have some free time it might be one I develop), but its good for non-gf crowds. Crema fritta all Veneta or Crema fritta alla Venezia. Fried cream. Yep - that's right! Thick curdled cream inside a delightful puff of fried dough and breadcrumbs that you serve with little bowls of more cold cream sweetened with sugar. <a href="http://www.buonissimo.org/lericette/723_Crema_fritta_alla_veneta" target="_blank">A ridiculously simple recipe</a> to follow (yes, it is in Italian but its easy to translate) that I'm thinking could be done using King Arthur's gluten free baking flour and any number of breadcrumbs (maybe the Schar variety?). </div>
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With a little searching in Venice, however, we found the REALLY cool desserts. Pinza Veneta or Pinsa Veneto (depending on who you ask), is traditionally made for the lighting of the Christmas Bonfires around the Venetian province of Veneto, including Vittorio Veneto, where my grandfather's family was from. While not one of the larger fires in the province (the one above is a beautiful one from Arcade, a little over a half hour from Vittorio Veneto), there is still a small one with plenty of pinza and brule (a hot, spicy mulled wine). The panevin, as the fires are known, started out as a pagan tradition on the winter solstice and then later became known as a way to help the three wise men find their way on a cold winter's night to Bethlehem. <a href="http://www.grandmasdesign.com/media.php?recipes=NTAwNDQ=" target="_blank">Grandma Bruna's recipe</a> for pinza is delightful (note: not MY grandma LOL), and Schar comes to my rescue again with a<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpA5wjz6MKc" target="_blank"> gluten free recipe for pinza</a> (though I would add some cornmeal to it to make it more authentic to what I remember). </div>
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If you are eating la pinza on a plate instead of standing around the panevin, the BEST thing to have with it is a uniquely northern Italian condiment called mostarda. Mostarda comes in a jar that looks like this: </div>
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but its actually better if you make your own, because then it doesn't look like some off colored mustard. Mostarda is a combination of fruits and mustard essence, and its a sweet and spicy condiment that helps clean out the cupboards while making something tasty. This <a href="http://food52.com/blog/8577-how-to-make-mostarda-without-a-recipe" target="_blank">recipe from Food52</a> makes a lovely version that's simple and requires little work (though a lot of time is involved, most of it is in non-active tasks...). And its naturally gluten free, so of course you can use it on tons of stuff, not just pinza! Pureed up more, its good with a lot of meat dishes, it can be used in the place of cranberry sauce, and its excellent with cheese and crackers. </div>
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Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-83110979389198770332014-12-17T16:07:00.000-06:002014-12-18T08:19:25.890-06:00The battle of the holidays on social media (warning: contains Elf on the Shelf)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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(this really cracked me up. I love Grumpy Cat! <a href="http://www.slapcaption.com/grumpy-cat-likes-spiked-eggnog/">Photo courtesy of SlapCaption</a>)</div>
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With the advent of the season of the holiday, my social media networks across the board explode with people spouting off about the various holidays, presence or lack thereof of religion, and the creepy factor of various holiday traditions. (sorry this gets a wee bit long...)</div>
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Case in point: </div>
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Thank you <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/77423179@N02/11174243763/sizes/l">Melissa Hillier </a>for a much cleaner photo of the little Elf than I've seen! </div>
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There's some debate about him. Evil? Not evil? Preparing children for a police state? Creepy? Not creepy? And goodness gracious, the stream of pictures from all the folks that have to move this elf once a day in order to play by the rules of the game as written. (though I do think some of the more adult ones are kind of funny, like <a href="http://imgur.com/ZcFVCYp">this one</a>!)</div>
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Here's the thing. When I was young (which was not that long ago!), I was taught that Santa is a representation of the spirit of generosity. He might not be a real person, but as a spirit of generosity he represents the idea that we all should give to one another. I mean, even the bad kids get coal, which can be used to warm one's house, so life is not all bad! </div>
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It was your job to honor the goodness in the world all year long or you would be put on the coal list. There was nothing in these lessons about religion, about all year long stalking, or even a requirement to call him St. Nick and not Santa Claus / Kris Kringle. So you can be Jewish or Muslim or Atheist and still enjoy festivities and just don't bother with the "Christmas" name for the holiday. </div>
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It wasn't until I was older that I even realized that there was a religious component to Christmas in the name and the motivation behind the holiday. As usual, it is because the Christians tried to borrow from various Pagan celebrations in an attempt to gain more converts. Pieces of the holiday belong to the Romans (Saturnalia and Kalends), Druids (mistletoe sacrifice), Norse Mythology (Balder is killed by a mistletoe poisoned arrow while fighting over a female), the Asheira Cult (Christmas trees), German and Celtic pagans (the cult of Nicholas), Asian culture (Nimrod, the fire god, was nicknamed "Santa"), the Irish (the "Yule Lads" left presents and played tricks on people), and even some work in the holiday belongs to marketers (i.e. Coke's depiction of Santa Claus). This muddled mix of sources thrown together into a holiday makes it easy to pick and choose which pieces of the holiday you choose to observe. Celebrate Santa but not poison or Christ's birthday or a celebration of the slaughter of thousands of Jewish people? Absolutely you can! BUT...you can also celebrate Christ's birthday. And you can also sacrifice a goat to Balder or pagan gods. That's the beauty of living in modern culture - unlike the 4th century CE when the Christian church borrowed Saturnalia to form the basis of Christmas, we have CHOICE. </div>
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So getting me back to this little guy:</div>
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The tradition of the elves actually starts a LOT later than Christmas itself. It wasn't until the 1800s that the elves of the world were demoted into only existing to help Santa Claus do his work. Prior to this, elves were a sort of fun little creature that could help you or harm you - in Germanic and Scandinavian literature, elves were guards against evil and bringers of light and magic but if they were mistreated or you were a bad person, the elves would play tricks on you. But again, the sources get mixed. In the Netherlands, Santa travels with a sidekick named Zwarte Pieter (Black Peter), and in France, there's Père Fouettard (Father Whip) for Santa's sidekick, both of which are characters of very mixed good and evil. </div>
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The Elf on a Shelf idea sort of brings back that idea of the "little people" or the "Wee folk" that can be good to you if you're good and bad to you if you are bad. And yes, I've always found that idea creepy. That someone or something is watching me 24/7. No person is ever going to be perfectly good 100% of the time - even sleeping people sometimes kick people in bed! So do I find Elf on a Shelf creepy? Yep. I wasn't even surprised when a Washington Post article proclaimed "<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/12/16/the-elf-on-the-shelf-is-preparing-your-child-to-live-in-a-future-police-state-professor-says/">The Elf on the Shelf is preparing your child to live in a future police state, professor warns</a>"</div>
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You've probably all already seen the arguments, so I'll skip to the good part - the comments. They are a lively bunch of folks who have a range of opinions, but the most interesting delve into the WHO is buying these things. You see, there's a strong belief that its mostly young mums out there buying these because they want to validate that they are good mothers just like their friends who are posting their "Elf on a Shelf" pictures on social media. It's all a scheme for validation, and in some cases, they even do it after the children are scared off by the "Elf". </div>
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<br />The thing I think young mums are not remembering is that they have a CHOICE. If you are bullied into using "Elf on a Shelf" and its other overpriced products than you are in the same situation people were in the 4th century CE - being told how to behave and how to validate your celebration as legitimate. There are wonderful young mums out there who don't tolerate this nonsense and have great kids. There are wonderful young mums out there who find the whole thing entertaining and do it for fun without the "rules" and involving their children in the process. </div>
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You always have a choice in what you choose to buy and celebrate (unless you're in a totalitarian country like China or North Korea, then...I apologize). Don't let your social media feed bully you into needing validation just like others or trying to argue for "Putting the Christ back in Christmas" or "Banning Happy Holidays" or any other such nonsense.</div>
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Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-1308552299670787482014-12-01T17:29:00.001-06:002014-12-01T17:29:27.752-06:00The cacophony of the holiday sales begins...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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(Poor kitty! From Icanhazcheeseburger.com)</div>
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Over the weekend, the holiday sales season officially began. I don't even know if we should call it the holiday season any more. By far and away, the amount of people, places and things crying out OMG PLEASE PAY ME was just ridiculous.<br />
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Did I indulge? A bit. Much less than other years. Maybe I'm getting more self control as I get older.<br />
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Mostly though, its just tiring. Why the heck does everyone need a new tv this time of year? Or yet another crock pot? Do people throw these things away on a monthly basis? I don't understand. I got a couple of movies, and some surprise packages from Julep (my husband would probably argue I do NOT need more nail polish, but...) and a pair of pants I needed to replace one that broke on vacation (duct tape no longer holds the pockets together). Oh, and some patterns (feeding the addiction, lol).<br />
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I think most of all, it really just came across as a sea of people, places, and things trying to stimulate buying, and none of it really had the effect that it would have had five years ago, even a year ago! Black Friday sales numbers were down, and I think its because of that reason - a sea of external stimuli with no way to differentiate it. Even most "deals" sites were saying the deals were bleh this year.<br />
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I think back upon Thanksgiving 1900 and wonder...what would they have thought of all this nonsense? I think they would have gone crazy from a sea of crazy around them. They wouldn't have known what to do with so many advertising messages blaring at them.<br />
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Sorry for the ramblings today but that's where my thoughts have been over the last couple days . This week to come: updates on projects completed!<br />
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If you are at your computer hiding from the madness, enjoy this cute puppy video:<br />
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Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-43565845302513253132014-11-14T18:49:00.001-06:002014-11-14T18:49:34.521-06:00Memorial to Osgood (update on the Osgood scarf)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I feel like I haven't shared an update on Osgood's scarf in awhile. She's coming along nicely. I've been weaving in the ends as I go so I love that its going to be finished when its finished.<br />
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According to my calculations I'm just under 70% complete. I looked back and I started this back in December 2013 so I think its progressing on target. In the wake of what happened to Osgood in Death in Heaven, I've been using it as anger management to get over the loss* of her character.<br />
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*Well, we all know she had a Zygon clone and we don't know where she is. And we're not sure if the thing Missy used on her is a full TCE or a miniaturization one, and well, this is science fiction so who knows, she may come back for no other reason than Moffat decides to bring her back.</div>
Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-10191158814737587842014-10-23T18:04:00.000-05:002014-10-23T18:04:36.680-05:00Don't corrupt your dolls - A note about thinking about the image of crafting and the treatment of women<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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(tee hee from <a href="http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3sz2rd">Quick Meme</a>)</div>
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Those who know me know I am no prude, not by far, but some things that I've seen online recently have even made me wonder about where people's minds are heading. And the funny thing is that the things that have really been making me wonder are on their head, very innocent looking. </div>
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I am a huge fan of amigurumi (crocheted toys of animals and dolls). I follow a lot of different fandoms including Lalaloopsy, Lalylala, Rabbiz, NerdyKnitter, etc. and so many of them are so much fun. Who doesn't want a stuffed pony dressed like Doctor Who, for example? </div>
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As a part of this, fans create their dolls and animals and post them online for others to admire, rate and give compliments. Which is awesome that they have a place to go and do that, be it on Facebook, independent sites, Deviantart, Etsy, etc. What's giving me pause though, is the recent trend that seems to be cropped up online, in which these innocent little dolls, with their wide eyes, impossible size, and inability to stand on their own, are used to mimic pornography. </div>
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A recent post, for example, gave the image of a little doll in a wide circle skirt with wide eyes, a tiny waist, and teeny legs that stood only by the virtue of the weight of the skirt. Then a series of photos was posted in which the doll strips down to her underwear while posing provocatively. Another post had a series of cat dolls with wide eyes and big eyelashes "mating" to make kitten dolls. Other posts feature the dolls whipping each other with yarn "whips" with hearts and stars, male and female dolls "mating", still others are in what would be considered a strip club position when real humans hold that position in place.</div>
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I can't help but think of the similarities to video games with many of these scenarios. My first thought was that these were male fans doing these poses, but that was wrong of me. Its just as many female fans doing the "naughty doll" thing. </div>
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<b>What does it say about us as women that we want to make our dolls handicapped versions of reality and then place them in abusive or pornographic situations? Are we so deeply ingrained as a society in the mistreatment of women that we do it to ourselves? </b></div>
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I think what bothers me most about this is that they are dolls. And toys. Kids can see these things very easily - if you image search for dolls or particular brands, 25-30% of the results are images that I wouldn't want any kid to see. Heck, I don't want to see a doll getting violated and I'm in my 30s. Dolls are mini-humans, and how kids treat them will become how they will treat real humans as adults. </div>
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We don't want to teach anyone to do this. I say we stop allowing this now.</div>
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Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-76800039476555666972014-10-08T16:29:00.003-05:002014-10-08T16:29:36.997-05:00Craft Yarn Council Survey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'll keep this short and sweet - <a href="http://www.surveysoftware.net/hostri/cyc2014.htm">do this survey</a>!<br />
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It's US focused, so sorry to the international knitters and crocheters reading this. If you are in the US, you can win a $25 gift card for filling it out. This is the annual survey that determines how popular knitting and crocheting are that the Craft Yarn Council does every year.<br />
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Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-24021753257159112822014-09-22T12:57:00.002-05:002014-09-22T12:57:24.581-05:00Think about what image represents your ancestor<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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" /><img src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" /><img src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSEPz2PsnbjsDTfHXvq8Rm6N7L8lF0orf739_0rlC8ZfP1NPnONmA" /> </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-upcPef9Hv2U/VCBe1FUJ-aI/AAAAAAAAdVg/7sK-2Lco6VA/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-upcPef9Hv2U/VCBe1FUJ-aI/AAAAAAAAdVg/7sK-2Lco6VA/s1600/Capture.JPG" height="146" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'll be honest...this is a little of a rant. If you aren't into genealogy, I understand if you come back later. I've been working on my Ancestry trees, slowly working my way through all of the hints and records that it suggests. Yes, I have issues with hints but those are for another day.<br />
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What's getting me ticked off is the number of these (above) sort of graphics being included with every ancestor in a tree that is before the age of photography. I am comfortable with my ancestors. They may be represented peacefully with a silhouette until I happen to see an image that has a relationship with them, such as a burial site, their house, or perhaps a relic of their time in a particular area, like a maple tree from their property, or an example of their masonry or silversmithing.<br />
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Why is everyone so obsessed with putting a photo in that silhouette that they use canned clip art to show that its "their" ancestor because there's a flag or a ship? Does that have any connection to their life? Just because they immigrated, should their entire image be represented by their passage? Didn't they do something else with their life?<br />
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And if you are going to do something like this and thinking about actually making a connection to your ancestor, why not research the CORRECT flag to put into the tree? For example:<br />
<img alt="United Kingdom flag of Briton today" src="http://www.nps.gov/jame/images/UK_150x111.jpg" /><br />
This flag is the flag of England AFTER 1801 (above). Before 1801, the flag looked like this (below):<br />
<img alt="Union Flag 1606-1801: combination of English and Scottish National flags" src="http://www.nps.gov/jame/images/Union1606-1801_150x118.jpg" /><br />
Prior to 1606 ( when James I took the throne), however, England had an even simpler flag (below):<br />
<img alt="English National flag during the reign of Queen Elizabeth: red cross on a white background" src="http://www.nps.gov/jame/images/StGeorge_150x118_2.jpg" /><br />
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So if your ancestor immigrated the US in the 1770s, then the middle flag is correct. Not the top one, nor the bottom one. The ancestor would have had no connection to either the top or the bottom flag, which makes your graphic meaningless.<br />
<br />Similarly, if your ancestor came from Cologne to the US in 1774, this should be the flag:<br />
<img height="149" src="http://www.fahnenversand.de/fotw/images/d/de_kol.gif" width="200" /><br />
NOT this one:<br />
<img height="133" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Koeln_Flagge.gif" width="200" /><br />
This flag was adopted after that period and so therefore, it doesn't make any sense to have your ancestor tied to a graphic that didn't exist in their time period.<br />
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I guess what I'm trying to say is, its okay to NOT have a picture of an ancestor. And if you are going to do it, at least take the time to think about the image and its context, and make sure that you get the right graphic that actually has a connection to your ancestor.</div>
Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151129822892013962.post-1736625114889905092014-09-02T19:21:00.000-05:002014-09-11T11:51:06.249-05:00Fact Checking - A philosophical discussion on approaches to genealogy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s8Bd9Q5H6Xs/VAX4wKmAGFI/AAAAAAAAdDU/Iu_Gc7wc3Ko/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s8Bd9Q5H6Xs/VAX4wKmAGFI/AAAAAAAAdDU/Iu_Gc7wc3Ko/s1600/Capture.JPG" height="62" width="200" /></a></div>
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Photo snapshots from 5 days of Ancestry.com emails.</div>
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Forgive my absence, folks, as I'm developing new ideas for the blog. I recently had an exchange with an Ancestry.com user. I won't name him here or quote from the experience, as I think what was said and done warrants more of a philosophical thought than a direct experience. </div>
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Over the last week I received five update emails from Ancestry on this person's tree. Each day, there were a few pictures and sources and this listing that over 100+ people have been added. I started to check the lists and yes, they were actually new people. Each day, over 100 people were being added to this person's tree. </div>
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This naturally got me suspicious, as I find that more and more, as I check over what I am adding to my tree, I am lucky if I get through adding a family of 3 to my tree on a single day! How could he get through this many folks at once? And then do that breakneck speed for four more days?</div>
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<b style="text-align: center;"><i>"Blah, blah, blah - you've whined about this before, about people adding things without checking"</i></b></div>
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Aye, I have, which is why I want to go somewhere else with this post. What I thought about was that there is a fundamental difference in how people <b>approach</b> genealogy and that is why there is a disconnect between the two camps of folks. </div>
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Camp 1. The experienced genealogists, the professionals, and the folks striving to get to either of these points. They tend to be the slow adders - checking each person, one at a time, adding sources, then moving on to verifying the relationships, then moving on to adding a new person to a family.</div>
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-Pro: things tend to be well sourced and easy to follow.</div>
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-Con: they miss out on new data as they are often too slowly working through existing data.</div>
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Camp 2. The newbies, the part timers, and the bucket list folks (i.e. "I must finish my genealogy to give my kids"). These folks tend to be fast adders, clicking and dragging from one family to the next, matching the names they think match, and adding anything easy to attach from Ancestry.com and its network and sometimes FamilySearch.</div>
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-Pro: there tends to be an explosion of data available for any family. Whether its right or not, well, who knows?</div>
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-Con: an explosion of data means none of it is checked. Often there is a host of errors, and many times whole family lines are mismatched.</div>
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Which brings me to my last point - could each camp learn something from the other one? I believe the answer is <b>yes</b>. </div>
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Camp 1 - they sometimes seem like the most hardest working folks in genealogy. The problem? It sometimes gets to be a bit too much like WORK rather than a hobby, a profession, or even dare I say - fun? (sorry James Tanner...). </div>
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Solution? Something new that I heard about this weekend as well - "blitz genealogy". With all the technology and advice out there, practicing short spurts of searching and detective-ing with high productivity can lead to a flurry of new information to help clear up old troubles. In blitz genealogy, you set a research hypothesis that can be solved in a short period of time, say, two days. A good one might look like "I need to find marriage records for Daniel Graves in eastern Michigan from 1870-1890." Then you go out and you save every document that might meet that criteria. Lastly, you then sift through the material, holding the ones that aren't the right guy in an appropriate holding bin (I have a folder on my computer labeled "Searches by subject area" and then I add the folder number to a list that corresponds with the research problem). </div>
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Another way to do blitz genealogy is to do tasks like this - <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/126734176988989406/">write a one hour life history on one of your ancestors</a>. How can that help you? By taking the time to analyze your ancestor's life as a whole, you can often spot holes in their story that are easy to fix. A missing time record, some tax records, etc. </div>
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Camp 2 - these guys just seem like they are flurrying around with little direction or investigation of their connections. </div>
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Solution? I've taught this technique to a few dozen folks, and they all giggle at the name "Search and Destroy". You take one family, and look through all the evidence, and weed out what doesn't fit. Then you move up the chain, each time, taking one family and looking at it. Sometimes the answer is that the whole family doesn't fit and the whole name chain can be released from the tree. I try to encourage folks to only keep the names of family they are pretty sure about and delete the rest. </div>
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What does this do? It gives them quick focus and helps them see the importance of being sure. Note I didn't say right or wrong here - those come later. What you want to be is sure that the basics are correct. Folks have the right name, they match up to the census years, they match up to the names on the certificates (if available), that the pictures look like they came from the right era, etc. If they added things from websites other than FamilySearch and Ancestry, the documents have notes on where they came from so others can find them later. These tasks increase the quality of their genealogy very quickly, yet also helps them down the path should they want to become part of Camp 1.</div>
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A little bit quicker, a little bit slower, and both sides can increase the quality of their genealogy and still have - dare I say it? - fun in their hobby. And they can find some common ground in learning from one another, without the derision on both sides.</div>
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Crafting in Yoohoovillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com0